I may bitch about how films get into festivals, but even so STRANGER EYES has me flummoxed. This is such a mess I can't believe it was programmed anywhere.
This multi-part story begins by telling the story of a couple whose child went missing. It then shifts into the story of a neighbor who is spying on them, before swerving in a couple of other WTF directions which make you realize the kidnapping was a come on. (as is the whole thing about cameras everywhere)
While a couple of people liked that the film swerved, I could never get past plot holes and errors that riddle the film. I broke with the film when we see events that we saw transpire as recorded from the POV of the stalker. What wrecked it for me was the fact he would have had to have been visible to us in those earlier scenes.
Going past that, a great deal isn't explained. One character is stabbed and seems to die...and then doesn't and the police don't do anything about it? The connections of characters isn't even hinted at until it is front and center. Boat loads of details just aren't there with the result that characters suddenly appear, events just happen and motivations are in the wind. While a couple of writers I talked to after the screening said everything doesn't have to be explained, and they are right but, honestly there are only so many holes you can have in an umbrella before you get wet. This umbrella has too many holes.
"Wait what?" something I said repeatedly.
My head hurt when the film was done
This film needs another edit and another hour of material for it to just begin to make sense.
Skip this.
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