Obsessão Fatal

Ana Claudia is not only a terrific actress, but easy on the eyes as well. The film is creepy -- as a good close-in thriller should be. Colin Hanks (no relation to Colin Firth apparently) is also excellent.

I saw the film at the Tribeca Film Festival without expectations. (You sign up for a bunch of films after looking at their menu several weeks in advance and by the time you're going to the screening, you only know the name, the place and the time, having forgotten what attracted you to the film in the first place.) Once the opening credits started rolling and I saw Ana Claudia's name (I'm a bit of a fan) I remembered why I had signed up for the film -- but nothing of its plot. It's probably best to see it that way because the film is seductive. It lures you into its creepiness, but through the squirming you'll enjoy it.

Doug, played by Colin Hanks, goes out one day with a camcorder looking for a woman to follow. He settles on Amy, played by Ana Claudia Talancon, first by following her around everywhere she goes, then by setting up her whole apartment with hidden cameras.

He watches her every move, from showering to sexually abusing her hair brush, and uses the information he gleans from his surveillance to insinuate himself into her life.

This is not an original but yet interesting premise that plays itself out as one would expect. Hanks is competent in his role, and Talancon is a standout. The problem is that not enough tension and suspense are built to have the end payoff be enough for this movie to get a really good rating from me.

This is still a decent effort, and worth a watch for fans of found footage thrillers.

Alone with Her hit theaters in early 2007, a limited release of course. Despite that, I'm surprised that this film hasn't gotten more attention since then. Colin Hanks is Doug, one of those perverted types that carry hidden cameras in their bags to glimpse up women's skirts and the like. While out doing this, he spots Amy (Ana Claudia Talancón) and sets his sights on her for the remainder of the film. He breaks into her apartment and rigs it with hidden cameras, microphones, etc. to use what he learns to try and weasel into her life... and to watch.

The first thing you notice upon watching Alone with Her is the innovative nature in which it's shot. The entire film is seen through Doug's hidden cameras. It throws the viewer off guard, and makes us feel almost as voyeuristic as Doug. It also makes the film so much more unnerving than it would've been had it been shot in a conventional manner. We get a front row seat to the images that we have no right to see, as well as the nastier bits which hit harder when glimpsed through this unknown eye.

Doug is a truly pathetic character. Having no confidence and no life, he watches Amy 24/7. He watches to see what movies and music she likes so he can pretend to have something in common with her when they meet. He has hissy fits when he hears her make a date with another man. In some of the most disturbing sequences of the film, he punishes her, sabotaging her love-life by poisoning her milk and dabbing some kind of skin irritant all over her bed. He sabotages her life time and time again, all while poking the holes needed to weasel himself into her good graces.

This film isn't brutal or graphic, and it doesn't need to be. This does more without gore than something like Inside does with wall-to-wall amounts of it. Alone with Her is a deeply affecting look at the nature of stalkers and voyeurism. It's the type of film that will make you feel unclean after watching, something that will crawl inside of your psyche and stay there.

A psychopath goes to extreme lengths to stalk an unsuspecting young woman, installing surveillance equipment in her apartment and playing with her emotions. Hanks is quite creepy as the stalker, a loner with a warped sense of reality. Talancon is quite alluring as his prey. The gimmick here is that much of the film is told from the perspective of the weirdo. In fact, much of the early part of the film is devoted to what he captures with his hidden camera. The viewer does not even see the guy until half way through the film. While this approach is interesting for a little while, it soon becomes irritating. One good thing is the short running time.

This film is a work of art, it is that simple. It is completely original and crossed many lines that a standard Hollywood film would never cross.

It is so disturbing and unsettling to watch, and the way the film is present through the eyes of the stalker is fascinating. I think its ridiculous that this film isn't being noticed, it is unbelievable.

I had to pause this movie 5 times because I felt so uncomfortable watching it. I highly recommend this movie.

I hope everyone gets a chance to see this, it shows horror in a way I have never seen. If someone knows a movie more creepy and strangely realistic like this one, let me know.