El extraño

Una película cliché, pero con una actriz principal agradable (es que tengo una debilidad especial por el corte bob rubio), bien rodada, con un sentido del ambiente frío y la capacidad de poner la piel de gallina. El mejor público objetivo de la película son las jóvenes estadounidenses que planean visitar o mudarse a Europa del Este, idealmente Rumania. Además del inglés, en la película se habla rumano y el personaje principal es el único extranjero en el país. La película habría obtenido cuatro estrellas con un clímax más imaginativo e inteligente. Sin embargo, tal como está, el clímax es vergonzoso, aunque por un momento parecía tener un final que uno no esperaba y que a mí personalmente me habría gustado mucho (y que habría enfadado al espectador convencional). (23.07.2022)

A solid old school paranoid psycho thriller with a touch of Hitchcock. I usually find genre films with a similar concept to be mediocre, but Watcher managed to win me over with something despite its slow pace. The attractive and well-acted Maika Monroe moves to Bucharest to visit her husband, but he spends most of the day at work, so the main character has to spend most of her time alone and Bucharest is not exactly an ideal place to spend your free time. The film also works well because of the setting, where the main character tries to fit in in an unfamiliar city where she knows no one, most of the people are sketchy, there is a serial killer who hangs out in the city and cuts women's heads off, and she is stalked by her next door neighbour. Apparently Romania is a country without curtains, and thanks to the big windows overlooking all the neighbours, it manages to evoke the right uncomfortable feelings. An honest, authentic, realistic and chilling slow burn with excellent craftsmanship, a great female lead, a good bad guy, an intense final half hour (the metro is atmospheric awesome), and an awesome finale! You can say that the film could have brought some more fundamental twist, but I'm still surprisingly satisfied with the quality this time. Story 3/5. Action 2/5, Humor 0/5, Violence 2/5, Fun 4/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 4/5. 7/10 (27.06.2022)

Watcher won't score points for originality, but I personally give it points for style and directorial skill. The subject has been dealt with many times, but usually I find films in which strange things happen to the main female character, her husband doesn't believe her, and the viewer is supposed to be in uncertainty whether there really is something evil or whether it’s all in the protagonist’s head, annoying because of their triteness. But Maika Monroe is a great actress and Chloe Okuna clearly has directorial talent, so Watcher hooked me and entertained me, very much. The tension in the subway scene, for example, is palpable. Those who can tune in properly will get a quality chilling slowburn. 7/10 (23.06.2022)