"Watcher" Didn't Need a Killer

Watcher (2022)

Missed opportunity for a psychological unravelling grounded in isolation and gendered surveillance

• Country: U.S.A.

• Genre: Psychological Thriller

• Director: Chloe Okuno

• Cast: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman

Film Still from Watcher (2022), Courtesy of IFC Midnight

Clinical Overview

A young American couple, Julia and Francis, moves to Bucharest for his job. Through their apartment’s windows, Julia notices a man watching her from the building across the street.

Diagnosis

The film leans on serial-killer suspense, but a more compelling version would focus solely on Julia’s loss of identity in a place where she has no purpose.

Prescription

Julia could start out bubbly—Facetiming friends back home—then grow increasingly withdrawn. A shift into baggier clothes would show how the male gaze erodes her confidence and sense of self. The final showdown? Julia finds her voice—loudly enough to shock even Francis.