Julia (Maika Monroe) joins her husband (Karl Glusman) when he relocates to his family’s native Romania for a new job. Having recently abandoned her acting career, she finds herself frequently alone and unoccupied. One night, people-watching from her picture window, she spots a vague figure in an adjacent building, who seems to be looking back at her. Soon after, while alone at a local movie theater, Julia’s sense of being watched intensifies, and she becomes certain she’s being followed — could it be the same unknown neighbor? Meanwhile, a serial killer known as The Spider stalks the city.
For in-depth thoughts on Watcher, please see my colleague Michael Cook’s review from its Sundance debut here.
Video Quality
Watcher debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that represents this film perfectly. The movie often uses darkness to elevate the tension which is complemented by deep black levels that hold together nicely. This allows the viewer to become more immersed in the narrative without having the illusion of the experience broken. Objects hold up well in the shadows and retain their depth with banding only showing up in extremely brief instances. The transfer provides a substantial amount of detail and clarity even in the darkest moments. There is slight loss of fine detail during more kinetic moments in the shadows, but these moments are supposed to feel a bit disorienting. The movie itself has a natural palette that renders very nicely on screen, especially when it comes to the interior of the apartment. No damage or digital noise was detected that would detract from this transfer. RLJE has delivered fully here.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original English and Romanian. The movie makes great use of environmental sounds to ratchet up the anxiety with a very enveloping atmosphere. Surround channels get some remarkable activity during the exterior city scenes and with the ambiance of certain interiors, especially as you hear noises from the apartment next door. The low end adds some much appreciated texture that enhances the thrills. The dialogue and sound effects are balanced well with the score where nothing sounds muddy. Fans will appreciate how engaging this is from beginning to end. There are English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director Chloe Okuno and Editor Michael Block provide a very informative and entertaining commentary track in which they discuss their concerns with pulling off and matching certain shots, the challenge they faced during the production, the aesthetic they were trying to achieve, the shooting locations, the seamless visual effects and more.
Final Thoughts
Watcher is one of the most effective thrillers we have seen in some time. The way in which director Chloe Okuno crafts this narrative keeps you on edge with very little time to stop and take a breath. This genre has been explored fairly thoroughly, but the distinct point of view introduced here brings new layers. The performances are very strong across the board, but Maika Monroe in particular continues to showcase why she is one of our favorite young actors working today. RLJE Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a worthwhile commentary track. If you are in need of a taut thriller with something to say, this provides a tremendous time. Recommended
Watcher is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
