Unseen

I watched the film not expecting much, but it was surprisingly good. The two actresses who carried the movie were great. Midori Francis and Jolene Purdy, who I hope to see more of in the future are very talented.

It was the theme from Cell taken to the next level with a creative twist of one woman (Sam) having to be the eyes for another woman (Emily) escaping from her homicidal ex-boyfriend. In the process the women become empowered, both refusing to be victims and help each other reclaim their lives. Missi Pyle, who is always great, tops it off with some comic relief as the stereotypical rich white lady from hell. You should check it out.

This could've been a really decent movie if they stuck to one genre. It felt like they tried to make two completely different films and then somehow forcefully fit them together.

The main idea was not incredibly original, but it worked quite well. A seriously visually impaired woman is stuck in a dangerous situation and is trying to get help from a stranger through a video call. That part was mostly well done, with some forgivable flaws. (Characters making silly decisions just because with a logical step the movie would end after 20 minutes, or the fact that they tried to show the main protagonist's bad vision through an eye shaped "cutout" while nobody's vision is like that.) It had tension, it was engaging, it captured one's attention.

The connection between the two main female characters was also good, their shared journey was nicely done.

What sort of ruined it all more and more as the movie went on was the addition of the minor characters at Sam's work. At first they were just rather overdone and one dimensional. But later on they progressed into truly over the top burlesque, with zero connection to reality. And that's where the movie split into two. That sort of absurd comedy can work, but not paired with a fairly realistic thriller/drama. I get that they wanted to add obstacles, excitement on Sam's side as well, but it was really poorly done.

It's still a watchable movie, but it could've been a whole lot better with a revised script that kept the two sides more in balance.

Would have been good with just one story-line but this movie is made even better with the absolute Bat nuts crazy second story-line they decided to throw in there.

Made even better by the split second scene at the very end of the film (right before the credits) that made it the cherry on top of a very bizarre Action drama. No spoilers but look for the business card at the end and pay attention to what it says on it - both sides.

The characters in the first story-line are your average characters that you would expect in any ol' movie and it's done well. A little over the top for the male lead but good. Now the second set of characters are a hoot I tells ya. An absolute over the top performance by everyone involved and it's weirdly wonderful..

If you want a movie that's your normal affair then probably not for you but if you like the weird than this will please.

Was going to give it a 7 but that end scene bumped it up to a 7.5 - 7.8.

Stylistically, Unseen is a pretty decent film.

It's got a bit of a cult vibe to it.

And the idea is pretty cool - a legally (though, not fully) blind woman, having been taken hostage by her psychopathic ex boyfriend, escapes, and gets lost wandering aimlessly in the woods, while trying to find her way to safety.

But conceptually, it's inherently flawed.

Mainly, because...if you were trying to escape from someone in the woods...the first rule of survival would to be as quiet as humanly possible.

Not talking incessantly on your phone at full volume, shooting the shizz with the random convenience store clerk you accidentally called to help you navigate your way back to civilization.

Humourously, most of the tension arises from the banal issues the convenience store clerk must deal with- in her bid to help save her new friend- as opposed to the situation the woman actually fleeing for her life finds herself in.

While, ironically, it's the psychopath stalker who ends up taking the brunt of the physical punishment.

The fact that everything is flipped on it's head, makes for quite a fun and engaging film.

So you quickly forget about it's more fatal flaws - like how her phone still works after falling into the river.

And just roll with the punches.

Because it's more rewarding to focus on what works...than dwell on the bits that don't, because they are completely implausible.

No matter which way you look at it, however...you've got to admit...it's pretty damn entertaining.

With lots of action, a decent amount of tension, and some truly hilarious scenarios.

So if you can go into it with an open mind, you're sure to enjoy yourself.

And leave knowing...that not all heroes wear smocks.

But some do.

5.5 out of 10.

There are tons of movies lately being made / written / starring so called minorities and / or women. I guess it's a backer push for equity. Most of these films are pretty bad, so I went into streaming this with that in mind.

What a surpise. It's actually pretty decent. Yes, there are plently of holes in the plot and a few poorly rendered characters, and some under par acting here and there, but I have to say: it's nonetheless well made.

The director keeps the tension tight throughout -- even when a particular scene might be really silly, or unbelieveable.

I also liked how the two main female characters grow from each other by the end of the film.

Overall, I say it's worth a watch.