Directed by Chloé Okuno, the unknown It marks the solo debut of a director who tried her luck in 2021 with V/H/S/94. And just like that time I shared the responsibility, the filmmaker falls into the most hackneyed clichés of the whodunnit psychological and terror to give shape to a correct film, but insufficient. If you want to know my opinion, you can read it below. AND If you want to go to the cinema to see The Strangerthen opens Friday March 17 with distribution of Universal images.
A psychological thriller that has little terror
the stranger sold as one whodunnit psychological with overtones of terror, but it’s by no means a scary movie. The first thing yes, creating the feeling of paranoia around the protagonist at all times. During the 98 minutes that the film lasts, no we stop doubting what she sees. Will it be real? Can you imagine it? And if the person who pursues her is not in the places she crosses more than out of curiosity? What if she was the stalker? However, when he plunges headlong into terror, he abuses inefficient resources such as jump scarestoo loud music and spatial ellipses.
Feminist argument (half)
At a certain time, The stranger becomes a feminist plea. If you look at me, I don’t look at you anymore. If you scare me, I’ll give you more. But the script forgets to delve into this problem and finds itself looking for a culprit. How interesting it would have been to reflect more on the power of the male gaze, instead of creating a character totally dependent on men: in the end, the protagonist goes to Bucharest leaving everything behind because her partner encourages her to do so. She is left alone while the man works, and the look that looks at her is obviously that of a woman. Feminist advocacy, yes; but not a lot.
A result that could have been much better
The big problem of the stranger This is precisely its outcome. Far from betting on a different fence, the director submits to the rules of the genre and gives us a grotesque, but sometimes ridiculous and cheap show. It is now that The Stranger Goes From Feminist Advocacy To Another Serial Killer Movie. A change in tone that destroys an ending that could have been much more satisfying to explore areas like fear of the unknown, social phobia or mental illness.
The Stranger is little more than a movie you would watch on a Sunday afternoon.
I find it hard to stop the stranger because throughout its 98 minutes, there are flashes of brilliance. Chloe Okuno She’s an interesting director, who knows how to convey with the camera and the silences the feeling of being overwhelmed by the protagonist until the last moment. And we are also surprised that technically, the filmmaker has done so much, with so little. However, it’s a flat movie in the scriptalways expecting twists that never come and shocks that, at best, make you frown.
As a graduation project, it is an exceptional film, but as a psychological thriller, it is one more. And that’s the problem with making a psychodrama when there are thousands like you.