Cast: Skyler Davenport, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Laura Vandervoort, George Tchortov, Pascal Langdale, Joe Pingue, Kim Coates
Screenplay: Adam Yorke, Tommy Gushue
Running Length: 1:32
MPAA
Classification: Not Rated (Violence, Language)
U.S Release Date: 1-07-22 (Limited & VOD)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
It’s always a shame whenever a film has a great concept but fails to do anything memorable or interesting with it – and that’s unfortunately the case here. See For Me is a home invasion thriller with a unique twist not seen very often in this genre – that in which the main character is blind. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this concept; the most notable example would be the Audrey Hepburn classic Wait Until Dark, but sadly, that’s the only other example out there. There’s so much that the filmmakers could have done with this premise, and yet, it’s shocking how the end result turned out to be so ordinary and forgettable.
Our
heroine is Sophie (Skyler Davenport), a downhill skier whose once-promising
career is cut short when she is diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a
degenerative eye disease causing blindness. To make money, she accepts an ad
for a cat-sitting job placed by a wealthy woman named Debra (Laura Vandervoort)
who is leaving for a vacation after divorcing her husband. Not long after she’s
left alone, she accidentally locks herself out of the house. With the help of
See For Me, an app designed to help blind people connect with a seeing helper
via a video call, she connects to a woman named Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy),
a former soldier turned gamer who helps her get back inside. That night she’s
awoken to three men who break into what they think is an empty house in order
to bust open a hidden safe that contains seven million dollars. Eventually both
parties become aware of each other and a cat-and-mouse game ensues as Kelly
tries to get Sophie to safety with the help of the See For Me app.
The
film starts with promise as we get to see how Sophie goes about her life and
the way she’s able to navigate her new surroundings once she gets to the
mansion. It’s only when the three men break into the house that the film goes
downhill fast and never recovers. The first issue lies with how Sophie’s
character is written – she comes across as extremely unlikeable, making it hard
to root or care for her in any way. I understand that the film wants to show us
that she isn’t just another young helpless blind woman (something that should
be done more often), but to have her character constantly shut down help almost
every single time while making questionable decisions in the process (one of
which that has fatal consequences for another character later on in the film)
makes for a frustrating viewing experience.
The
other issue is the surprising lack of suspense. It’s almost baffling how much
director Randall Okita fails to milk this premise for all its worth. Part of
the problem is again, the character of Sophie, but there’s also nothing innovative
or creative about the way this film is shot. There’s no stand-out moment, nor
are there any twists or surprises, something that this film desperately needed.
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