Unseen review.
Last week we covered a third movie where someone is trapped inside of a bathroom. This week, we have Unseen…the second movie in as many years about a visually impaired person getting help through video chat. Like Holy Shit! last week…this might be the best version of what it’s doing so far.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Unseen
Directed by Yoko Okumura
Written by Salvatore Cardoni and Brian Rawlins
Starring Midori Francis, Jolene Purdy, Michael Patrick Lane and Missi Pyle
Unseen Review
Last year, See For Me showed us the potential of an incredibly specific sub-genre of film. There was no way to know at the time that “blind character gets assistance through a bad situation from a stranger via video chat” would become a thing, mind you…but here we are with Unseen. A movie that takes the formula and raises the stakes for (mostly) better and for worse.
Emily (Midori Francis) is nearly blind without her glasses…a fact that complicates an already terrible situation when she wakes to find herself kidnapped by an ex-boyfriend. She escapes into the woods pursued by the man…her only help a stranger who misdialed her. Sam (Jolene Purdy) is a convenience store clerk who must serve as Emily’s eyes as the two try to navigate her escape.
See For Me uses the concept less than Unseen does. It’s a neat trick to build tension in the former…the latter makes the whole movie out of it. It’s also a more straight-forward story. See For Me takes narrative twists and turns that don’t always work. Unseen presents an unwavering right and wrong, and is the better for it.
There are really two stories at play here. The first, far more entertaining one, is Emily’s plight. Stalked through the woods by her ex and guided by Sam’s unsure and worried direction…Unseen keeps a fast pace of tense moments and a fear of what lies ahead. Francis and Purdy are both excellent in their roles. Francis does a lot of physical work…her perpetual fear and growing exhaustion throughout the movie drives its momentum forward.
The crux of the story is Emily’s attempted evasion of her captor. Being unable to see where she’s going, or if he is nearby, is used to great effect. The threat is always around her…and without Sam’s guidance she has no chance of survival. Their relationship is a key component of Unseen. We learn more about them as individuals as they grow their unlikely bond.
Purdy is equally good as the shiftless woman who finds herself thrust into Emily’s life and death situation. In fact, every interaction the pair has is a highlight of the movie. Unfortunately, the story makes some odd choices on Sam’s end of the call. Despite finding is success in the grounded terror Emily is experiencing…Unseen chooses to juxtapose it with over the top hijinks in Sam’s convenient store.
Real world distractions as Sam tries to be Emily’s eyes are expected. Unseen takes it to the extremes with gun toting customers shooting up the place. Not because there was a robbery…which would have at least been a somewhat plausible situation…because a particularly annoying customer feels slighted. It’s a misstep that takes the movie in an unneeded direction. There were plenty of better ways to add obstacles to Sam’s side of the conversation without resorting to ill-fitting nonsense.
Fortunately, the distractions make up a relatively small portion of Unseen. For the most part we get an extended game of cat and mouse with the fun twist of a third party on video chat. When centered on this conflict, Unseen is a thrilling and intense ride. A great example of smaller is better…the story of a nearly blind woman trying to evade her captor works very well. Every time Emily spins her camera for Sam to survey her surroundings works as intended.
The chemistry between the leads and the grounded portion of the movie make Unseen a very fun watch. The third act makes a mistake with Sam’s story, but the ultimate destination is worth sticking it out for. Emily is essentially stuck in a final girl story where she has to rely on the kindness of a stranger to see her through. Unseen gets enough out of that journey to overcome its issues.
Scare Value
One of the stories goes off the rails in a strange way…but the overall impact of Unseen still lands. The leads are excellent and build great chemistry in short order. I don’t know how many more movies we will get about visually impaired people using their cell phones to have a stranger serve as their eyes…but Unseen sets a high bar.
3.5/5
Unseen Links
Rent/Buy on VOD from Vudu
Rent/Buy on VOD from Amazon
Unseen Trailer
If you enjoyed this review of Unseen, check out other new movie reviews: Jethica and The Strays
