It was made known at the dinner with her husband's coworker that she was an actress. So that had to come full circle with her faking her death as well as the use of the aforementioned gun.
I can 100% understand your take on this film. There were a few not so realistic choices made just to get us to that final ending shot… but man i found it SO satisfying seeing her look at him like that… I think maybe this movie connects more with people that have tried to tell a loved one something so many times and they were never believed…. it scratches an itch deep down for people that never got the chance to say ‘I told you so…’
I think if she had died in the end it would’ve made the movie feel less impactful in the sense that the movie would ultimately be more about the husbands faults than Julia’s success. The fact that she lives and gives him that “told you so” look really drives home the experience for Julia and takes less remorse away from the husband and instead puts into Julia’s hands a feeling of empowerment. The husband having to face Julia for the rest of his life is also a real f you to him that I like. Plus it was also just kind of badass
What you outlined is precisely my criticism of the ending.
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@@LUMOSHROOM Hence the reason why he wrote it. He does not see it as criticism. Rather, he sees it as an asset to the movie, and why such ending is more emphatic and prominent. I concur.
Might I add, it was also her "Fuck you" moment that came to pass. She did mention earlier in the film that she should start saying it more often in her conversation she had with Irina. Which by the way, poor her. She was also a nice character and a great representation of how a true strong and powerful female character should play. She was kind, had good values and had class. Shows how a woman can act confident and inspiring, her loss was morned.
@@LUMOSHROOMI think you missed this persons point. She doesn’t have to die for the husband to realize he’s an asshole. The movie would become less about her and more about his own pain which is… silly.
@@j0j01192 Not necessarily. It would have depended on the execution of this theoretical alternate ending. Maybe the focus would've shifted to Francis and his grief and regret; or maybe the ending would've been an objective perspective without any characters saying anything, reinforcing the tragedy of Julia's death. We'll never know because that's not the movie we got. But the idea that an ending where Julia stayed dead would automatically be 'silly' because it would shift too much focus to Francis is simply untrue.
I love the ending. it ends with her looking at the audience, her boyfriend, her stalker. She uses the power of looking back; she watches those who watch her. its a great end.
The ending actually is very plausible. The slit on her throat wasn’t very large where as to she could’ve bled to death very quickly. Add into the mix of the adrenaline, fight or flight and the will to live. Just look at the story of Alison Botha who was raped and had her throat deeply slashed to the point where when she was left for dead; she was able to get up, and walk a big distance to get help. In many instances during that walk her head actually fell back and she saw black. Her head was actually nearly decapitated and she lived.
It’s plausible but it still defies logic. The spider watched her bleed out. He also had a history of cutting off his victims head. We heard it in the news story and saw it with Irina. He just randomly decided not to decapitate her at the end?
I use Google translate on the Romanian parts, and it added so much more to the movie. I cannot believe they didn’t include translations. I think you’re right and maybe they wanted us to feel like julia lost but the context of what they were saying was so impactful actually .
@@SeatherineJent me too but it still doesn't show the words in english, and not even in romanian :/ if you can put the translation here for the romanian parts it would be awesome 'cause I'm curios:)
The thing that I don’t understand is how a serial killer like Daniel (the spider) would go to the police to report his neighbor stalking him thus becoming an instant suspect once he’d killed his target. Was Daniel just being stupid here or was it his final kill or sth I don’t get it
A lot of times, those types of people believe they are so above the law that they won't get caught even if they engage with police. It's why they often insert themselves into investigations after the fact.
no it's called being closer to the enemy they will not suspect him at the same level if he didn't report the police it's like those who hide very close to the enemy and the enemy search every where for them never knowing they are literally living that close to them same street house ect
I am a sucker for happy endings. So, I am okay with how it ended. In fact, I would have loved to see Irina and Julia team up and prove that the guy was a killer. But that would have been a very different story.
I too think that her not dying with all that blood and managing to kill the killer is too much. It takes away from the believability of the film but the last scene was so satisfactory for me. As a woman watching I can relate to the story. Her husband witnessing the crime and seeing her wife like that made a great closure to the story.
Totally agree it was satisfying to see her kill the killer but I don't like how they showed her on the floor bleeding out so much to signal to the audience she is dead because that's what movies tend to do when someone bleeds out so much it's to signal yep they dead lol. Better they didn't let her bleed out so much but the director so wanted us to believe she was dead to surprise us with the killer getting shot by her which was satisfying bcuz I also didn't want her to die but they could of handled that better to make it more realistic and not try to mislead us and by the manner they did it made it a but unrealistic.. That's my only issue with the ending.. Besides that enjoyed the ending
Or if the husband just sees an open door and man leaving and smirking and then he realizes his wifes dead inside that room that would have been cool too when he realizes she didnt make that up
Agreed. The novie wasnt great but the ending was particularly bad. To me there was one brief shining moment of hope about 1 hour into it tho, where she has a graphic thought/premonition imagining spider putting a bag over her head. There are several better endings and directions the movie could have gone from this point, but my favorite would be to have her continue having these thoughts, gradually blurring the lines of reality until the audience has no idea what is real and what isn't. You could even have the movie end the same way EXCEPT that after she walks out into the hallway, she's no longer covered in blood and it looks like she just shot the neighbor for no reason. 🎉
@notatl1804 as a writer I can assure you i woulda done far better going in any number of different directions. This movie got a 31% on rotten tomatoes. Honestly any decent writer coulda made a much better movie than this pile of mediocrity. Also the guy who made this video liked the idea. I wrote basically the same comment under the video and he responded.
@@aesoprockinin the guys takes are awful theres plenty ppl in the comments saying he overanalyzed and they like the movie as is and i agree; writer or not sorry not sorry
I went looking for a clip of the ending because it is one of tightest and best endings I've ever seen to a movie. Ironically that's how I found this video. Every narrative thread in the movie is tied up with zero dialogue in mere seconds. It's masterful screenplay writing. The writers could have very easily ruined this by adding a scene of her being carried away in an ambulance, or some moody music with scenes of the dark city at night, her husband running to her aid, or any number of things, but the cut to black is perfect. My one critique is from the scene before what I'd count as the ending, and that's the size of the pool of blood. But the quality of the ending of this movie has little to do with realism. It's elegant and I won't be partaking in any "why didn't the eagles fly Frodo TO Mordor" well-akshuallyism myself.
I think that the fact that the entire movie was masterful makes it worse. They did everything perfect and then got sloppy at the end. At the very least if this was the ending you wanted you could have made it 1000x better by just having her be laying down still. Do everything the same and then have her husband peak into the door way with her laying down with the gun and the same I told you so look. The blood pool was a bit to much also.
In the era of seeing countless Ari Aster and Robert Eggers horror films where the ending is just about guaranteed to be a miserable one and almost all wannabe prestige horror films are trying to end in that same vein, it’s frankly refreshing to see such a film that very much mimicked the same tone as those types of films only to end with a crowd pleaser moment.
No one is going to talk about how she crawled on the floor, covering her right side throat, when she was cut on her left side…how was that overlooked in directing/editing?
I wanna see her move back to New York, I wanna see her ex hate himself for not believing her, I need her neighbours to feel bad, I need the cop to feel bad. im so sad!!
They purposefully made it such that she wasn't cut right at the centre of her throat but they showed too much blood loss. Like, anyone who loses THAT much blood wouldn't have the congnitive ability to pull a gun out and shoot someone.
I must agree with some here that this ending, compared to many other films in the same genre, is extremely satisfying to see. Not even a "was he RLY the bad guy? or is he RLY ded??"! Altough id *love* to see more of that "i fkn told u so", rather than cut to credits, lmao
Dude youre totally over analyzing the movie in this review. Not only was it clever that she played dead and actually waited til he was leaving, but if you recall, she was an actress... very clever way to end it. Realistic or not, its a dam movie!!! You know how shitty movies would be if they were as real as we wanted them to be
I think movies suffer more from being unbelievable than the other way around. Of course we have to go by a case-by-case basis but the idea that movies being more realistic is somehow a bad thing is a misconception I think we should let go of asap. For examples of movies that balance realism with compelling stories: Sicario No County For Old Men The Foreigner Burn After Reading Brawl in Cell Block 99
@@sethbullock2026 if it makes you laugh explain how a cut in the neck and her bleeding out and unable to breath turn suddenly into her standing on her feet able to shoot a gun and stand as if she didn't and still is losing alot of blood ?
I saw Watcher for the first time today. I am so genuinely mind-boggled by this criticism. First of all, it's convoluted as fuck and I can barely make sense of your argument. But I think it's that... the film and its characters lose their "authenticity" or "realism" because (in your opinion) the ending serves as a cheap "gotcha"? Ummmmm. Spoken like a man. 1. Francis is an entirely believable and realistic husband. Coming from a woman who dates cisgender men: this is what they're like. And what's so realistic about it is that, the beginning of the film, he's actually quite sympathetic to her feelings. He expresses concern, asks how she's doing, and tries to offer solutions (albeit half-assed). But it becomes evident that these were only attempts at placating her and making the problem go away. When her fear not only persisted but escalated; when she didn't immediately snap back to his doting and mild-mannered wife; when the problem got too real and too big: he dismissed, humiliated, and rejected her. If you think this isn't a realistic portrayal of your average man/husband, look up the statistics of men who leave their wives who are diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness. Her survival does not invalidate or cheapen any of the above. 2. If you think the portrayal of the police in this film also wasn't realistic, well. You're not a woman who has had to report sexual violence or stalking to the police, are you? Again, not diminished by her survival. And the fact that you think it is, is a deeply weird take. 3. The cut on her neck... When I saw it, I immediately thought it was a "warning" or meant to punish her for screaming -- it didn't look *to me* like he intended to kill her. I thought it was the first of more blows to come. I was surprised when she "died." People have survived slit throats before. Is it unlikely? Yes. But not as ridiculously implausible as you paint it. Also, relax. It's a movie. Sometimes we must suspend disbelief, and that's part of what makes films enjoyable. 4. You talk about her survival as if the assault she experienced is not also incredibly tragic, traumatic, and meaningful. You essentially argue that "her death would have been a tragic ending and meant something, and it's totally undermined because she lived" as if surviving an assault and near-death experience is not also devastating and TRAGIC???? Hello????? 5. It really seems like you could only be sympathetic to her if she died. The dismissal, gaslighting, and rejection from her husband is only devastating if she died. The terror and trauma of being stalked is only tragic if she died. The violent assault she endured is only tragic if she died. Why is that, do you think? Because it's not a good look. 6. So. Many. Comments. Arguing that it would be a better film if it was "all in her head." Because, why? Mental illness is more horrific than violence against women? You literally pinned a comment where someone argued she should have gone crazy, hallucinated it all, and shot an innocent person. What exactly would the message of that film be? Women are delusional and imagining the violence they experience at the hands of men? Women will go crazy and falsely accuse men? That's "not a bad idea" to you? That's more horrific to you than a realistic portrayal of men enacting violence against a woman? YIKES. I'm sure I have more, but I'm not going to subject myself to re-watching this video. Personally, loved this movie. I found it absolutely terrifying, I really related to Julia's experience with her husband and the police, and I was deeply, deeply, deeply satisfied with the final shot. I did not find it cheap, I did not find it a cop-out, and I did not AT ALL feel that it undermined the rest of the film. I would have absolutely hated this film if she'd died. As if the world needs more misogynistic trauma porn. We don't. Let women fucking survive. Let women have their "I told you so." Women should not have to die at the end for us to understand their experiences as horrific. The real horror in this film is not the fucking serial killer stalking and nearly killing her. The real horror is that her stalking and assault could have been prevented if the men in her life LISTENED TO HER. THAT is what makes this film so terrifying. THAT is horror. Terrible critique. The audacity to tag it #believeallwomen. LMAO. I legitimately think you need to sit with and interrogate why her survival and her resentment toward Francis/"I told you so" moment makes you so incredibly uncomfortable.
The irony of this male film critic not agreeing with/believing in a female writer/director's portrayal of the ways husbands don't believe their wives is poetic
YES I wanted this ending. This husband was terrible. He let her down throughout the film and in the end all the "watching" symbolism made sense as she looked at her own life clearly for the first time and saw she was not loved. The husband staying at the party and allowing her to walk/catch the metro home, in a city in which four women had been decapitated in weeks. He deserved the ending and it was sweet!
I just watched the movie for the first time. I'm a woman in her 30s, in a foreign country where my days are looking pretty much exactly like Julia's - feeling lonely and isolated, not working due to burnout, barely recognizing my old self, all for an avoidant, dismissive man who wanted me here. Many women are trapped in relationships like these because, just like in Julia's case, you don't see this side of your partner until you need their support. I think the movie did an amazing job at depicting such a relationship. That being said the ending was terrible. I wish it ended with Julia getting off the train after that chilling monologue from her stalker. We would have no confirmation if she was right or not and if they'd hide him in the background throughout the movie it would've been even more effective on rewatch.
I agree. I thought the husband showed concern and tried to investigate the matter with her. Julia just didn't have enough proof that the guy was indeed stalking her and trying to kill her. By the last 20 minutes of the movie, Julia was getting on my nerves. I thought that she was overreacting just like her husband thought but of course by the end we see she wasn't. That wasn't the husband's fault though. The only thing that I wish he had done was left with her at the work cocktails gathering where they had the little tiff. He should not let her go home alone at night like that even if he thought that the Spider killer guy had been caught. I think the killer guy was initially stalking Irina until Julia began her obsession with him.
@@LUMOSHROOM well to be neutral to the matter ...yes he was slightly ignorant and sometimes even just look unbothered..but yes one cant deny the fact that people are like that sometimes.. in beginning he even tried to help her... but maybe after not enough evidence maybe he thought his wife was being paranoid.... im not defending his character..anyhow..its just how some people are.. but yes i agree with you that a ending where the watcher's true identity was revealed could have been a better ending
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d Saying, 'the depiction of the husband was very realistic' doesn't really advance the discussion. My criticism of Francis is that he's a weak character because the plot needs him to fail and dismiss Julia, despite the obvious reasons he has to share in her concern (granted, not to the same degree), so that her triumphant moment at the end can be more impactful. Some specific examples to counter that point would be appreciated.
The ideal ending would ne that she would divorce that worthless husband and go back to her country...that dude acted like a serial killer without trying much to hide it and still nobody moved a finger
I just watched it. I don't understand why her phone that fell when the Watcher put the bag on her head, then appears on a coffee table when her husband dials her. I liked the movie though. It gave me the creeps. The actor playing the killer was great
I have seen a bunch of neck trauma over the years (Im a Trauma ER/ICU nurse) and I am doubtful that was a carotid injury. She’d be dead in seconds or at least had a major stroke and died. It was most likely a superficial venous injury of some kind. It was not pulsatile for one and was a slow ooze like I’ve seen with other neck injuries.
Not a bad breakdown but feel like you've completely missed the point. Her husband IS WRITTEN TO BE THIS WAY. It was all set up for him to get a "I told you so moment" Her dying/or gaining vengeance (as she does), works either way.
I know Francis is written to be that way. That's my criticism of the film; that the ending undermines the authenticity the first 80 minutes established.
it sounds like its fatal flaw is not being a short film: once she says "hey this guy is obviously stalking me", most people would believe her unless he was someone she knew or something
I perfer a claptrap ending to a movie like this over the expected dour ending solely because these types of indie horror films always end on an expectedly dour note anyway. I can suspend enough disbelief for her to have her vindicating Hollywood ending because it makes the miserable journey of watching a lonely woman get stalked in a foreign country all the more worth it if it’s not two hours of her being miserable just to simply die.
Nah, the husband and police are, unfortunately, realistic. Its upsetting and scary because i can look back and see real examples of all of this (without the murderer). Though i see your point on the ending!
Agree with your take! My main issue was with the husband. He did not seem like a real person at all, it kinda took me out of the movie. No real fault to the actor, I think the writing just made me think "what on earth did she ever see in him". Not only is he unsupportive, he also isn't charming or compassionate. Never does he say "I'm sorry you're having a hard time and feeling so isolated right now, thanks for literally moving across the world for me, I love you" or something. It is unrealistic to think she ever fell for him. Although I don't think she needed to die to make the story complete, her getting the gun and having a perfect shot is not believable. Also, why did the spider not stay and try to cut off her head/assault her as his usual MO? Not doing so goes against his character. If anything, the husband could have fought the spider as he was leaving the apartment, and then gone to hold his wife's body and cry out about how he should have believed her.
Yeah I think it's believable that her and Francis are dating; but not married. He's anti-supportive and actively hostile to her worries... after he saw the news broadcasts of a serial killer targeting isolated women. Just a bit too over-the-top.
I liked the film but not sure she'd would have the energy to get back up after bleeding out.. film would have been better if she died & the husband lost her for not believing her.
I thought it was cheesy too, but I guess the acting-thing makes sense, and her throat wasn't entirely slit, it looked like she had an artery nicked. I was surprised she suddenly couldn't breathe or speak anymore from such an apparently small cut, but I'm not a doctor lol
This movie is basically a modern rip-off of John Carpenter's Someone's Watching Me, spoliers ahead!, the only difference being that the main character was a single Wmn alone in a new city, there was no known serial killer so there was no excuse to dismiss her worries, was set in a time period were the idea of stalkers and serial killer was either recently new or still unheard off and the Stalker didn't really had a character, he was just "a stalker" he never had a scene prior to the climax and was bearly scene at the end. All of those things were clearly put in the modern movie just to have the "we told you so"/ "just believe what we say" moment at the end.
Hi, thank you for your video review. Something that bothers me, why the killer was strolling around Bucharest with a head in a nylon bag? What was the point of doing so??
Na it was good ending killer winning wouldn’t made any sense whole point of the lovie was to showed i told you so jus because ending is always dark bad guy winning doesn’t mean it’s better but nobody believing her was more unrealistic
I just watched and loved it, I don't want to watch the video so soon not to ruin the ending, for me it was so satisfying, I was remembering another movie where the protagonist was killed unceremoniously out of nowhere and I was hoping it wouldn't happen again and instead surprise! Altough I was hoping for a mozambique drill, two shot to the body and one to the head
The main argument here is, in oversimplified, that the film is unrealistic bc her husband is too bad and the police are incompetent and that she should’ve been believed. On its face, all h the watcher did was (I) look out the window at her (not a crime), (ii) sit behind her in a movie theatre (don’t think others established it was him though the audience knows) and (iii) be in the same supermarket as her…. . When she hears the scream next door and ppl go inside, there’s no one there…. Its pretty plausible that the police wouldn’t act on this and that her ambitious and emotionally absent husband (whose excessively focused on work) would discredit her fears… The bigger flaw is that the watcher was acting anonymously as a serial killer and getting away with it. Why would he try to kill her, knowing that he’d immediately be the first suspect? There already had been a touch point w the police. given that his father is elderly, he prob couldn’t escape. His end game is either to 1) get identified and caught and 2) try to flee w his elderly father (but by running, it’s be obvious it was him and his picture would be plastered everywhere) So are we rly to believe this guy is going to basically give himself up just to murder this one person? Anyways, I have to say- I have watched a lot of movie reviews and this is singularly the worst, by a wide margin -arrogant reviewer who overrates his own intelligence. Speaks like a guy who thinks he went to Harvard- mate, look at your diploma and remind yourself of your credentials. You’re not smart. It’s sad to listen to intellectually mediocre people who speak as if they’re Stanford phds -makes same point over and over again in a circular way -beyond the lack of substance, this is just a brutal annoyiny listen. Droning style Genuinely pls focus on your day job bc this is a car crash to listen to.
Just watched the movie. I read some reviews prior stating the "ending was amazing and satisfying". After watching this brilliantly acted, slow burn movie I couldn't agree more with your assessment. After 95% of the movie being over and expecting to be blown away by the ending I was on edge. I was totally let down by the last one minute due to the reasons you stated and took all the wind out of the sail. Good summary.
I recently saw this film. I felt like the ending could’ve been so much better. Im not mad she survived. I was moreso baffled at how much they built up within that ending (main character’s supposed death, the girl witnessing from across the street, the killer seemingly going to take care of her, then the boyfriend showing up at that moment) all for her to just somehow survive bleeding out from her throat……huh?!?! It was so abrupt and left me thinking…what was even the point of all that happened literally 60 seconds if she was just gonna survive kill him right there. Huge waste of a potentially better route for an ending.
I think the ending is very obvious and kind of cliche, it would have been an amazing ending if everything was her paranoia caused by the fear of being another victim and nothing happens at the end but you are left with that little uncertainty that maybe she was right. Also an ending where irina was the killer would have been great, at the end when she goes looking for Irina she sees something in her aparment and just leaves. My problem with the ending is that she didnt have any proof of her suspicious and by what we were shown we didnt have nothing solid, so a paranoia ending was perfect in my opinion.
Nice video. I agree it would be a lot more impactful if she didn’t kill the spider. IMO the best ending would be if the final frame was when the spider left the room and made eye contact with Francis.
@@Breakfastststst Agreed! I think a lot of recent movies go for the darker, not satisfying ending because they are so concerned with being realistic, as to not challenge the suspension of disbelief, but at least for me personally THAT often brings me out of the experience, not because I only want happy endings but because I can TELL that "ah yeah, they gotta keep it realistic".
I felt like if they showed her body with the gun in her hand would be a bit more impactful, as in she got there but was too late. The ending was kinda anti- climatic with that last shot. Also wouldn't she lost her phone when Daniel attacked her?? It's still a pretty solid movie nonetheless, prolly one of Burns best besides Pacific Rim.
@@stefanmakara373 do you watch movies or am I the only one on planet earth who can't find the modern movies who are going for dark realism. Lol shoot me some titles if you got em.
I'm glad I'm not the only who thought they botched the ending. It's nice to hear somebody cover independent films. I feel like the MCU gets way too much coverage. This was a pretty good review and I look forward to hearing what you do next.
That’s the same issue I had with the movie, it wants to make it seems like it’s all in her head yet for anyone with 2 brain cells can see the obvious stranger danger displayed by that creep. The other issue was all the stupid decision she makes during the movie. I did enjoy the movie for the most part but the ending was a little ridiculous. She should have died and the last shot should have been her husband watching the spider walk out of the apartment and left that as the last shot.
I completely agree with you. That gut wrenching feeling of Frances seeing The Spider walk out of the apartment, knowing what he was going to find in there, was totally thrown away. Really well made video.
The most unbelievable part in the movie was her taking the metro from the cocktail party when it would have been a 15 min walk to her apartment. Not only taking the metro, but getting in at a station on one line and getting off at a station on a different line, which is 6 or more km away from her house located in the city center :))))) as a romanian living in Bucharest this irked me soo much :)))) I get it they had the scene in the train and foreign audiecenes will not catch that, but still, could have been done better or at least do not tell us the name of the stop she gets off...also, movies set in romania with no curtains on the windows? Not realistic at all, thank god she put them on after they had sex with the lights on in front of a big window overlooking another apartment building...smart characters everywhere 😂 ALSO neighbours not coming out immediately after the first shot fired??? In a country where we do not casually own guns and do not hear gunfire, again, not realistic... I liked the movie tho😊
Was anyone else excited when they thought this movie had the balls to actually complete a real tragedy. I was waiting for the husband to walk over and then see her lying there dead and then literally BOOM. All hopes shattered. Lol
not only that but her death would have made sense because the husband saw her bags that she was leaving the country so if the killer killed her and made the body disappear they would never know she died
This movie was very slow paced and the character of Julia annoyed me greatly. I'm thinking the whole time, "just stop looking out of the window at the guy!" I will bet that she wasn't even on his radar until she began to stare back at him every night. I think he was focusing on Irina as his next victim and Julia's paranoia and obsessive actions led him to target her as well. In the end she was right in her concern about him but any rational person would have thought her to be overreacting to the actions as they were presented. I thought the fact that she was able to grab the gun and shoot her attacker after he cut her neck and seemed to nick a major artery in her neck as she bled out profusely was a bit unbelievable and hacky.
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d I didn't say he would have stopped with Irina. He more than likely wouldn't have as he was described as a serial killer but Julia was engaging this creep by staring at him and following him around. He himself said that when she waved at him, she being a beautiful woman, he found it to be inviting, so he waved back. That probably gave him more incentive to stalk her. By no means does that give someone the right of way to be stalked and murdered, but people like the Spider are not exactly the kind to adhere to regular social mores.
@@nonabliss She shouldn't have looked out her window anymore or waved? What a stupid idea. Can't predict what's going to set psychos off. Besides, her neighbour, Irina didn't trigger him by "waving" and he still killed her. Not her fault at all.
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d She wasn't just looking out of her window casually, she was looking at him, in his direction, more than once. She waved at him knowing he had been staring in that same position for days. That's why he waved back. Anybody who does that is just asking for trouble, which is what she got. Irina worked in the same strip club as a dancer where he worked as a janitor, so he was scoping her out at work and knew where she lived. Damn! I guess some people really need for things to be spelled out for them because they are too dense to figure it out for themselves.
@@nonabliss No. I'm just not a victim blaming psycho who thinks waving out a window is "asking for trouble". He wasn't just going to stop with her neighbour.
I do feel like there's a little bit too much contrivance in setting her up. Other people could be taking it a bit more seriously without it putting her in less danger. I'm pleased she didn't die in the end, but that amount of blood loss, if not fatal (which it should be) would cause extreme dizziness, lack of coordination, and probably lack of sensation.
I found the whole movie predictable and (predictably) disappointing. To me there was one brief shining moment of hope about 1 hour into it tho, where she has that graphic thought/premonition imagining spider putting a bag over her head. There are several better endings and directions the movie could have gone from this point. My favorite would be to have her continue having these thoughts, gradually blurring the lines of reality until the audience has no idea what is real and what isn't. You could even conclude with essentially the same ending EXCEPT that after she walks out into the hallway, she's no longer covered in blood and it looks instead like she just shot the neighbor in the hallway for no reason. 🎉 BAM 🎉 Sooooo much better
Not a bad idea actually. It all comes down to execution. That's where I think I butt heads with many of the other commenters. I believe Watcher's ending was brilliantly executed; but fundamentally a bad idea.
I agree with your analysis of the movie and your disapointment with the end. I think the scene could have been much more impactful if she had shot him from the ground and had passed right after with accusing eyes left opened to her husband and the spider in the door frame.
The ending does not suck...was a good ending for what it is when it comes to the movie on a whole.. However the only issue i have that was a bit unrealistic is them showing her bleeding out from the neck when she is on the floor..by movie standards when u see that amount of blood it signals to the audience..yep their dead....but she didnt die and still had the strength after losing so much blood to stand and pump bullets into the antagonist lol.. I didnt want her to doe and was hoping when she was initially going for the gun she got it then and there to shoot him but they made us believe she was dead to give us that surprise kill.. Thats my only issue with the ending and idk how i would of felt if she really died and the killer walked away with the husband finding her body
He wasn't an awful husband. He knew she was upset, he just didn't see the proof of her claims. He tried to help her a couple times but he just couldn't jump to the same conclusions considering she really had no proof other than some guy she saw staring at her now and then. She also said she was losing her mind which didn't help her case. The ending where she bled out so much then magically regained consciousness bothered me as well though.
@@AdamtheGrey02only men can be so non empathetic and justify other men making jokes about their wife's fear of being killed, raped and what not. Please, if your wife's concerns and fears seem like an inconvenience and a matter of flippant joke to seem cool in front of your other loser coworkers, don't marry!
He was an awful husband. He never believed her. From the start he dismissed her claims. Even Irina's ex did more for her than he did because he believed her without even knowing her. All that "husband" cared about was his job or what the neighbors thought of them. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't encourage his own friends to speak English when she was around, which is super rude in any language. They would just chat and laugh while Julia had to sit there throughout the whole thing.
@@gabrielab2473 He didn't dismiss her claims. He went down to the grocery store and she again had no proof other than he was was possibly staring at someone who was staring at her. He gave the guy the finger from his window because she said he was staring at her. He went over with the cops to talk to the guy. She was also wrong regarding that being him in the theater. Different clothes.
What i have made myself understand about movies when it comes to believing characters..alot of times we get annoyed when ppl in the movie dont believe someone but we are watching the movie so we kno stuff they dont so if you looked at it from a realistic standpoint and remembering these ppl dont kno what we kno most times in real life we wouldn't believe alot of thr situations presented in movies.. So now i get less annoyed when the situation realistically i myself wouldnt believe unless there is clear ahd distinct evidence or patterns to see and in that case if thats in the movie and a person is still not being believed then it gets annoying lol
Just finished watching this movie. It was ok. Not great but definitely worth a worth and WOW This might be the worst analysis and misinterpretation of a film I’ve ever seen.
First off, thank you for talking about this movie, because it kind of went by under the horror radar in the groundbreaking year that was 2022. And I agree with you, it would've been better to let Julia die. I think a good rule of thumb is that if a film has a lot of deaths, the best ending would be a to have survivor come out of it. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre probably ends in the best way it could have. And if a film lacks many ON SCREEN deaths, the ending should see an important death. The Strangers is a good example of that. Watcher plays it so straight that Julia's death feels really earned and heartbreaking. But the final scene makes it more """"""girlboss/good for her""""""", which has it's own place, but doesn't fit in this movie.
This right here is the problem "who's idea was this'" Capitalism and this entitled era is destroying the art of storytelling. Storytelling isn't about you. Your role is to follow their journey.
Not great. Solid idea squandered in typical Shyamalan fashion. Twists pretty much revealed the second there was any set up and really insulted the audience moving into the third act. I'd recommend bc it was done fine, but if you've seen a lot of horror movies, this is a wasted opportunity with no surprises.
@@lincolnsnow6166 they lack creativity and are usually rip offs of other movies, ik it can be hard to make something unique but i feel the same way. newer movies are generally terribly written with some exceptions obv im just generally speaking
I thought the ending was good, but I think it would have been perfect if after she shoots the stalker and she looks at her husband, she would have said "Now do u believe me u prick?" then went to black, end credits. I think that final line would have added a touch of levity and been perfect.
This story didn't need levity. That's the point. The entire tone of the story is that of a tragedy that's why it would have been better if she died. That line would fit if this was a dark comedy, actually the entire ending would have worked better if this was a dark comedy but it wasn't portrayed that way.
@iW34Rglasses00 I don't think ur picturing how I'm picturing she'd say something to that extent. The way I'm picturing her saying it has no humor to the her tone. She just wants to convey that she was never crazy or paranoid.
I think the director was pressured into ending it that way. I can't see any other reason. The film did such a great job of depicting her as somewhat schizophrenic. So in the end, you feel awful because you realize you didn't fully believe her either. It's such a powerful feeling completely wasted because Rambo's part-time doctor daughter thought the best thing to do, instead of running for the gun, was to crawl and pretend to be dead in front of the person who's known for watching people for hours before cutting their heads off.
Leaving her dead would have actually made the movie memorable. Horror works best when they have the balls to end in tragedy. The last 5 seconds of the movie truely ruined the whole experience.
It was made known at the dinner with her husband's coworker that she was an actress. So that had to come full circle with her faking her death as well as the use of the aforementioned gun.
You can't be serious.
@LUMOSHROOM ?
@@dakidESQ How many acting classes would I need to take before I could convincingly spill a pint of blood from a vital artery and survive?
@@LUMOSHROOM dude relax. It's a movie.
@@dakidESQ Nice backtrack.
I can 100% understand your take on this film. There were a few not so realistic choices made just to get us to that final ending shot… but man i found it SO satisfying seeing her look at him like that…
I think maybe this movie connects more with people that have tried to tell a loved one something so many times and they were never believed…. it scratches an itch deep down for people that never got the chance to say ‘I told you so…’
I think if she had died in the end it would’ve made the movie feel less impactful in the sense that the movie would ultimately be more about the husbands faults than Julia’s success. The fact that she lives and gives him that “told you so” look really drives home the experience for Julia and takes less remorse away from the husband and instead puts into Julia’s hands a feeling of empowerment. The husband having to face Julia for the rest of his life is also a real f you to him that I like. Plus it was also just kind of badass
What you outlined is precisely my criticism of the ending.
@@LUMOSHROOM Hence the reason why he wrote it. He does not see it as criticism. Rather, he sees it as an asset to the movie, and why such ending is more emphatic and prominent. I concur.
Might I add, it was also her "Fuck you" moment that came to pass. She did mention earlier in the film that she should start saying it more often in her conversation she had with Irina. Which by the way, poor her. She was also a nice character and a great representation of how a true strong and powerful female character should play. She was kind, had good values and had class. Shows how a woman can act confident and inspiring, her loss was morned.
@@LUMOSHROOMI think you missed this persons point. She doesn’t have to die for the husband to realize he’s an asshole. The movie would become less about her and more about his own pain which is… silly.
@@j0j01192 Not necessarily. It would have depended on the execution of this theoretical alternate ending. Maybe the focus would've shifted to Francis and his grief and regret; or maybe the ending would've been an objective perspective without any characters saying anything, reinforcing the tragedy of Julia's death. We'll never know because that's not the movie we got. But the idea that an ending where Julia stayed dead would automatically be 'silly' because it would shift too much focus to Francis is simply untrue.
I love the ending. it ends with her looking at the audience, her boyfriend, her stalker. She uses the power of looking back; she watches those who watch her. its a great end.
booshes valley
Trash ending it had the perfect ending before she came back to life
@@Hikinggamer23 most anticlimactic boring ending lmfao if she died there
@@Hikinggamer23People gonna hate it more lol
@@ylvavolkov2122lol true yeah the ending is good but not that good, i wish it was longer lol like i really hate her boyfriend
The ending actually is very plausible. The slit on her throat wasn’t very large where as to she could’ve bled to death very quickly. Add into the mix of the adrenaline, fight or flight and the will to live. Just look at the story of Alison Botha who was raped and had her throat deeply slashed to the point where when she was left for dead; she was able to get up, and walk a big distance to get help. In many instances during that walk her head actually fell back and she saw black. Her head was actually nearly decapitated and she lived.
I remember this case, they even slashed her abdomen, she had to hold her head and her intestines in. I’m so glad she made it and is still alive. ❤️
It’s plausible but it still defies logic.
The spider watched her bleed out. He also had a history of cutting off his victims head.
We heard it in the news story and saw it with Irina.
He just randomly decided not to decapitate her at the end?
@@Spurs5459 he went to kill the girl who saw him through the window! I’m sure he had every intention of coming back to finish the job.
He missed the jugular, that's why she lived, and yes, he was gonna come back after he decapitated the little girl.
@@Kevincarllovenand how would he kill the girl without anyone noticing?. Just knock and get inside the apartment lol
I use Google translate on the Romanian parts, and it added so much more to the movie. I cannot believe they didn’t include translations. I think you’re right and maybe they wanted us to feel like julia lost but the context of what they were saying was so impactful actually .
I put on subtitles
@@SeatherineJent me too but it still doesn't show the words in english, and not even in romanian :/
if you can put the translation here for the romanian parts it would be awesome 'cause I'm curios:)
The thing that I don’t understand is how a serial killer like Daniel (the spider) would go to the police to report his neighbor stalking him thus becoming an instant suspect once he’d killed his target. Was Daniel just being stupid here or was it his final kill or sth I don’t get it
A lot of times, those types of people believe they are so above the law that they won't get caught even if they engage with police. It's why they often insert themselves into investigations after the fact.
no it's called being closer to the enemy they will not suspect him at the same level if he didn't report the police
it's like those who hide very close to the enemy and the enemy search every where for them never knowing they are literally living that close to them same street house ect
I am a sucker for happy endings. So, I am okay with how it ended. In fact, I would have loved to see Irina and Julia team up and prove that the guy was a killer. But that would have been a very different story.
I too think that her not dying with all that blood and managing to kill the killer is too much. It takes away from the believability of the film but the last scene was so satisfactory for me. As a woman watching I can relate to the story. Her husband witnessing the crime and seeing her wife like that made a great closure to the story.
Totally agree it was satisfying to see her kill the killer but I don't like how they showed her on the floor bleeding out so much to signal to the audience she is dead because that's what movies tend to do when someone bleeds out so much it's to signal yep they dead lol.
Better they didn't let her bleed out so much but the director so wanted us to believe she was dead to surprise us with the killer getting shot by her which was satisfying bcuz I also didn't want her to die but they could of handled that better to make it more realistic and not try to mislead us and by the manner they did it made it a but unrealistic..
That's my only issue with the ending..
Besides that enjoyed the ending
If the movie had ended right at the moment when he puts the bag on her head, it would be a real punch to the stomach .
Or if the husband just sees an open door and man leaving and smirking and then he realizes his wifes dead inside that room that would have been cool too when he realizes she didnt make that up
Agreed. The novie wasnt great but the ending was particularly bad. To me there was one brief shining moment of hope about 1 hour into it tho, where she has a graphic thought/premonition imagining spider putting a bag over her head. There are several better endings and directions the movie could have gone from this point, but my favorite would be to have her continue having these thoughts, gradually blurring the lines of reality until the audience has no idea what is real and what isn't. You could even have the movie end the same way EXCEPT that after she walks out into the hallway, she's no longer covered in blood and it looks like she just shot the neighbor for no reason. 🎉
@@aesoprockinin thank the lord u didn’t write this movie
@notatl1804 as a writer I can assure you i woulda done far better going in any number of different directions. This movie got a 31% on rotten tomatoes. Honestly any decent writer coulda made a much better movie than this pile of mediocrity. Also the guy who made this video liked the idea. I wrote basically the same comment under the video and he responded.
@@aesoprockinin the guys takes are awful theres plenty ppl in the comments saying he overanalyzed and they like the movie as is and i agree; writer or not sorry not sorry
I liked the ending because her dying would’ve been too much. Like let’s keep her alive
I went looking for a clip of the ending because it is one of tightest and best endings I've ever seen to a movie. Ironically that's how I found this video. Every narrative thread in the movie is tied up with zero dialogue in mere seconds. It's masterful screenplay writing.
The writers could have very easily ruined this by adding a scene of her being carried away in an ambulance, or some moody music with scenes of the dark city at night, her husband running to her aid, or any number of things, but the cut to black is perfect.
My one critique is from the scene before what I'd count as the ending, and that's the size of the pool of blood. But the quality of the ending of this movie has little to do with realism. It's elegant and I won't be partaking in any "why didn't the eagles fly Frodo TO Mordor" well-akshuallyism myself.
I think that the fact that the entire movie was masterful makes it worse. They did everything perfect and then got sloppy at the end. At the very least if this was the ending you wanted you could have made it 1000x better by just having her be laying down still. Do everything the same and then have her husband peak into the door way with her laying down with the gun and the same I told you so look. The blood pool was a bit to much also.
In the era of seeing countless Ari Aster and Robert Eggers horror films where the ending is just about guaranteed to be a miserable one and almost all wannabe prestige horror films are trying to end in that same vein, it’s frankly refreshing to see such a film that very much mimicked the same tone as those types of films only to end with a crowd pleaser moment.
I agree with your sentiment but not your conclusion.
No one is going to talk about how she crawled on the floor, covering her right side throat, when she was cut on her left side…how was that overlooked in directing/editing?
I wanna see her move back to New York, I wanna see her ex hate himself for not believing her, I need her neighbours to feel bad, I need the cop to feel bad. im so sad!!
All I cared is that she got THAT FINAL LICK ON EVERYBODY. I almost cried when she started shooting
They purposefully made it such that she wasn't cut right at the centre of her throat but they showed too much blood loss. Like, anyone who loses THAT much blood wouldn't have the congnitive ability to pull a gun out and shoot someone.
I must agree with some here that this ending, compared to many other films in the same genre, is extremely satisfying to see. Not even a "was he RLY the bad guy? or is he RLY ded??"!
Altough id *love* to see more of that "i fkn told u so", rather than cut to credits, lmao
Dude youre totally over analyzing the movie in this review.
Not only was it clever that she played dead and actually waited til he was leaving, but if you recall, she was an actress... very clever way to end it.
Realistic or not, its a dam movie!!! You know how shitty movies would be if they were as real as we wanted them to be
I think movies suffer more from being unbelievable than the other way around. Of course we have to go by a case-by-case basis but the idea that movies being more realistic is somehow a bad thing is a misconception I think we should let go of asap.
For examples of movies that balance realism with compelling stories:
Sicario
No County For Old Men
The Foreigner
Burn After Reading
Brawl in Cell Block 99
@@LUMOSHROOM once again... over thinking it.
Theyre just movies
you spoke the truth. A real good movie. This analysis makes me laugh.
@@sethbullock2026 if it makes you laugh explain how a cut in the neck and her bleeding out and unable to breath turn suddenly into her standing on her feet able to shoot a gun and stand as if she didn't and still is losing alot of blood ?
@@aic8326 "they are just movies" if we say that on every movie then we can't tell what good writing is
I saw Watcher for the first time today.
I am so genuinely mind-boggled by this criticism. First of all, it's convoluted as fuck and I can barely make sense of your argument.
But I think it's that... the film and its characters lose their "authenticity" or "realism" because (in your opinion) the ending serves as a cheap "gotcha"? Ummmmm. Spoken like a man.
1. Francis is an entirely believable and realistic husband. Coming from a woman who dates cisgender men: this is what they're like. And what's so realistic about it is that, the beginning of the film, he's actually quite sympathetic to her feelings. He expresses concern, asks how she's doing, and tries to offer solutions (albeit half-assed). But it becomes evident that these were only attempts at placating her and making the problem go away. When her fear not only persisted but escalated; when she didn't immediately snap back to his doting and mild-mannered wife; when the problem got too real and too big: he dismissed, humiliated, and rejected her. If you think this isn't a realistic portrayal of your average man/husband, look up the statistics of men who leave their wives who are diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness.
Her survival does not invalidate or cheapen any of the above.
2. If you think the portrayal of the police in this film also wasn't realistic, well. You're not a woman who has had to report sexual violence or stalking to the police, are you?
Again, not diminished by her survival. And the fact that you think it is, is a deeply weird take.
3. The cut on her neck... When I saw it, I immediately thought it was a "warning" or meant to punish her for screaming -- it didn't look *to me* like he intended to kill her. I thought it was the first of more blows to come. I was surprised when she "died." People have survived slit throats before. Is it unlikely? Yes. But not as ridiculously implausible as you paint it. Also, relax. It's a movie. Sometimes we must suspend disbelief, and that's part of what makes films enjoyable.
4. You talk about her survival as if the assault she experienced is not also incredibly tragic, traumatic, and meaningful. You essentially argue that "her death would have been a tragic ending and meant something, and it's totally undermined because she lived" as if surviving an assault and near-death experience is not also devastating and TRAGIC???? Hello?????
5. It really seems like you could only be sympathetic to her if she died. The dismissal, gaslighting, and rejection from her husband is only devastating if she died. The terror and trauma of being stalked is only tragic if she died. The violent assault she endured is only tragic if she died. Why is that, do you think? Because it's not a good look.
6. So. Many. Comments. Arguing that it would be a better film if it was "all in her head." Because, why? Mental illness is more horrific than violence against women? You literally pinned a comment where someone argued she should have gone crazy, hallucinated it all, and shot an innocent person. What exactly would the message of that film be? Women are delusional and imagining the violence they experience at the hands of men? Women will go crazy and falsely accuse men? That's "not a bad idea" to you? That's more horrific to you than a realistic portrayal of men enacting violence against a woman? YIKES.
I'm sure I have more, but I'm not going to subject myself to re-watching this video.
Personally, loved this movie. I found it absolutely terrifying, I really related to Julia's experience with her husband and the police, and I was deeply, deeply, deeply satisfied with the final shot. I did not find it cheap, I did not find it a cop-out, and I did not AT ALL feel that it undermined the rest of the film. I would have absolutely hated this film if she'd died. As if the world needs more misogynistic trauma porn. We don't.
Let women fucking survive. Let women have their "I told you so." Women should not have to die at the end for us to understand their experiences as horrific.
The real horror in this film is not the fucking serial killer stalking and nearly killing her.
The real horror is that her stalking and assault could have been prevented if the men in her life LISTENED TO HER. THAT is what makes this film so terrifying. THAT is horror.
Terrible critique. The audacity to tag it #believeallwomen. LMAO.
I legitimately think you need to sit with and interrogate why her survival and her resentment toward Francis/"I told you so" moment makes you so incredibly uncomfortable.
Yes to all of the above!
I watched the movie yesterday on Netflix and really liked it from start to finish!
I agree there was a lot of gaslighting the main character experienced. I was legit pissed at the husband and the police.
The only actually ridiculous thing was that she managed to stand up and shoot the guy. That should have been impossible, even for a horror movie.
The irony of this male film critic not agreeing with/believing in a female writer/director's portrayal of the ways husbands don't believe their wives is poetic
The pertinence of this feminist not understanding internal consistency is totally predictable.
YES I wanted this ending. This husband was terrible. He let her down throughout the film and in the end all the "watching" symbolism made sense as she looked at her own life clearly for the first time and saw she was not loved. The husband staying at the party and allowing her to walk/catch the metro home, in a city in which four women had been decapitated in weeks. He deserved the ending and it was sweet!
I just watched the movie for the first time. I'm a woman in her 30s, in a foreign country where my days are looking pretty much exactly like Julia's - feeling lonely and isolated, not working due to burnout, barely recognizing my old self, all for an avoidant, dismissive man who wanted me here. Many women are trapped in relationships like these because, just like in Julia's case, you don't see this side of your partner until you need their support. I think the movie did an amazing job at depicting such a relationship.
That being said the ending was terrible. I wish it ended with Julia getting off the train after that chilling monologue from her stalker. We would have no confirmation if she was right or not and if they'd hide him in the background throughout the movie it would've been even more effective on rewatch.
This 'review' sucks big time. I really enjoyed the movie and the depiction of the husband was very realistic...
I agree. I thought the husband showed concern and tried to investigate the matter with her. Julia just didn't have enough proof that the guy was indeed stalking her and trying to kill her. By the last 20 minutes of the movie, Julia was getting on my nerves. I thought that she was overreacting just like her husband thought but of course by the end we see she wasn't. That wasn't the husband's fault though. The only thing that I wish he had done was left with her at the work cocktails gathering where they had the little tiff. He should not let her go home alone at night like that even if he thought that the Spider killer guy had been caught. I think the killer guy was initially stalking Irina until Julia began her obsession with him.
What about Francis' depiction did you find realistic?
@@LUMOSHROOM well to be neutral to the matter ...yes he was slightly ignorant and sometimes even just look unbothered..but yes one cant deny the fact that people are like that sometimes.. in beginning he even tried to help her... but maybe after not enough evidence maybe he thought his wife was being paranoid.... im not defending his character..anyhow..its just how some people are.. but yes i agree with you that a ending where the watcher's true identity was revealed could have been a better ending
@@LUMOSHROOM Do you want a list of realistic things the actor did?
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d Saying, 'the depiction of the husband was very realistic' doesn't really advance the discussion. My criticism of Francis is that he's a weak character because the plot needs him to fail and dismiss Julia, despite the obvious reasons he has to share in her concern (granted, not to the same degree), so that her triumphant moment at the end can be more impactful. Some specific examples to counter that point would be appreciated.
Nah, I loved that "I told you, a**hole" look right at the end and the fact that she venged her friend's death.
The ideal ending would ne that she would divorce that worthless husband and go back to her country...that dude acted like a serial killer without trying much to hide it and still nobody moved a finger
I just watched it. I don't understand why her phone that fell when the Watcher put the bag on her head, then appears on a coffee table when her husband dials her. I liked the movie though. It gave me the creeps. The actor playing the killer was great
Yeah that actor is very talented, you would think he's a real serial killer
@@MedamineSlasla-su6mv Absolutely. Really cool Hannibal type
I have seen a bunch of neck trauma over the years (Im a Trauma ER/ICU nurse) and I am doubtful that was a carotid injury. She’d be dead in seconds or at least had a major stroke and died.
It was most likely a superficial venous injury of some kind. It was not pulsatile for one and was a slow ooze like I’ve seen with other neck injuries.
Not a bad breakdown but feel like you've completely missed the point. Her husband IS WRITTEN TO BE THIS WAY.
It was all set up for him to get a "I told you so moment"
Her dying/or gaining vengeance (as she does), works either way.
I know Francis is written to be that way. That's my criticism of the film; that the ending undermines the authenticity the first 80 minutes established.
it sounds like its fatal flaw is not being a short film: once she says "hey this guy is obviously stalking me", most people would believe her unless he was someone she knew or something
I perfer a claptrap ending to a movie like this over the expected dour ending solely because these types of indie horror films always end on an expectedly dour note anyway. I can suspend enough disbelief for her to have her vindicating Hollywood ending because it makes the miserable journey of watching a lonely woman get stalked in a foreign country all the more worth it if it’s not two hours of her being miserable just to simply die.
Nah, the husband and police are, unfortunately, realistic. Its upsetting and scary because i can look back and see real examples of all of this (without the murderer). Though i see your point on the ending!
Agree with your take! My main issue was with the husband. He did not seem like a real person at all, it kinda took me out of the movie. No real fault to the actor, I think the writing just made me think "what on earth did she ever see in him". Not only is he unsupportive, he also isn't charming or compassionate. Never does he say "I'm sorry you're having a hard time and feeling so isolated right now, thanks for literally moving across the world for me, I love you" or something. It is unrealistic to think she ever fell for him. Although I don't think she needed to die to make the story complete, her getting the gun and having a perfect shot is not believable. Also, why did the spider not stay and try to cut off her head/assault her as his usual MO? Not doing so goes against his character. If anything, the husband could have fought the spider as he was leaving the apartment, and then gone to hold his wife's body and cry out about how he should have believed her.
Yeah I think it's believable that her and Francis are dating; but not married. He's anti-supportive and actively hostile to her worries... after he saw the news broadcasts of a serial killer targeting isolated women. Just a bit too over-the-top.
I liked the film but not sure she'd would have the energy to get back up after bleeding out.. film would have been better if she died & the husband lost her for not believing her.
I thought it was cheesy too, but I guess the acting-thing makes sense, and her throat wasn't entirely slit, it looked like she had an artery nicked. I was surprised she suddenly couldn't breathe or speak anymore from such an apparently small cut, but I'm not a doctor lol
This movie is basically a modern rip-off of John Carpenter's Someone's Watching Me, spoliers ahead!, the only difference being that the main character was a single Wmn alone in a new city, there was no known serial killer so there was no excuse to dismiss her worries, was set in a time period were the idea of stalkers and serial killer was either recently new or still unheard off and the Stalker didn't really had a character, he was just "a stalker" he never had a scene prior to the climax and was bearly scene at the end.
All of those things were clearly put in the modern movie just to have the "we told you so"/ "just believe what we say" moment at the end.
Hi, thank you for your video review.
Something that bothers me, why the killer was strolling around Bucharest with a head in a nylon bag? What was the point of doing so??
Na it was good ending killer winning wouldn’t made any sense whole point of the lovie was to showed i told you so jus because ending is always dark bad guy winning doesn’t mean it’s better but nobody believing her was more unrealistic
She played dead.....
She's an actress remember....
😮 very clever
For me the cops are the most accurate like 9 times out of 10 with stalking cops aren’t gonna do anything.
I just watched and loved it, I don't want to watch the video so soon not to ruin the ending, for me it was so satisfying, I was remembering another movie where the protagonist was killed unceremoniously out of nowhere and I was hoping it wouldn't happen again and instead surprise!
Altough I was hoping for a mozambique drill, two shot to the body and one to the head
What a ridiculous review. Literally used all of his 20IQ points to twist and deform a masterpiece of a movie. What?! Overthinking much?
The main argument here is, in oversimplified, that the film is unrealistic bc her husband is too bad and the police are incompetent and that she should’ve been believed. On its face, all h the watcher did was (I) look out the window at her (not a crime), (ii) sit behind her in a movie theatre (don’t think others established it was him though the audience knows) and (iii) be in the same supermarket as her…. . When she hears the scream next door and ppl go inside, there’s no one there…. Its pretty plausible that the police wouldn’t act on this and that her ambitious and emotionally absent husband (whose excessively focused on work) would discredit her fears…
The bigger flaw is that the watcher was acting anonymously as a serial killer and getting away with it. Why would he try to kill her, knowing that he’d immediately be the first suspect? There already had been a touch point w the police. given that his father is elderly, he prob couldn’t escape. His end game is either to 1) get identified and caught and 2) try to flee w his elderly father (but by running, it’s be obvious it was him and his picture would be plastered everywhere) So are we rly to believe this guy is going to basically give himself up just to murder this one person?
Anyways, I have to say- I have watched a lot of movie reviews and this is singularly the worst, by a wide margin
-arrogant reviewer who overrates his own intelligence. Speaks like a guy who thinks he went to Harvard- mate, look at your diploma and remind yourself of your credentials. You’re not smart. It’s sad to listen to intellectually mediocre people who speak as if they’re Stanford phds
-makes same point over and over again in a circular way
-beyond the lack of substance, this is just a brutal annoyiny listen. Droning style
Genuinely pls focus on your day job bc this is a car crash to listen to.
How is no one talking about the serial killer choosing to involve the police with his next victim? That’s just plain stupid no?
Police was already involved. He didn't start the case, he just tried to turn it on her.
Just watched the movie. I read some reviews prior stating the "ending was amazing and satisfying". After watching this brilliantly acted, slow burn movie I couldn't agree more with your assessment. After 95% of the movie being over and expecting to be blown away by the ending I was on edge. I was totally let down by the last one minute due to the reasons you stated and took all the wind out of the sail. Good summary.
I recently saw this film. I felt like the ending could’ve been so much better.
Im not mad she survived. I was moreso baffled at how much they built up within that ending (main character’s supposed death, the girl witnessing from across the street, the killer seemingly going to take care of her, then the boyfriend showing up at that moment) all for her to just somehow survive bleeding out from her throat……huh?!?!
It was so abrupt and left me thinking…what was even the point of all that happened literally 60 seconds if she was just gonna survive kill him right there. Huge waste of a potentially better route for an ending.
I think the ending is very obvious and kind of cliche, it would have been an amazing ending if everything was her paranoia caused by the fear of being another victim and nothing happens at the end but you are left with that little uncertainty that maybe she was right. Also an ending where irina was the killer would have been great, at the end when she goes looking for Irina she sees something in her aparment and just leaves. My problem with the ending is that she didnt have any proof of her suspicious and by what we were shown we didnt have nothing solid, so a paranoia ending was perfect in my opinion.
Nice video. I agree it would be a lot more impactful if she didn’t kill the spider. IMO the best ending would be if the final frame was when the spider left the room and made eye contact with Francis.
Nah that’s too cliché oh big bad “realistic” dark ending too much these days
@@Breakfastststst Agreed! I think a lot of recent movies go for the darker, not satisfying ending because they are so concerned with being realistic, as to not challenge the suspension of disbelief, but at least for me personally THAT often brings me out of the experience, not because I only want happy endings but because I can TELL that "ah yeah, they gotta keep it realistic".
I felt like if they showed her body with the gun in her hand would be a bit more impactful, as in she got there but was too late. The ending was kinda anti- climatic with that last shot. Also wouldn't she lost her phone when Daniel attacked her?? It's still a pretty solid movie nonetheless, prolly one of Burns best besides Pacific Rim.
@@stefanmakara373 do you watch movies or am I the only one on planet earth who can't find the modern movies who are going for dark realism. Lol shoot me some titles if you got em.
I'm glad I'm not the only who thought they botched the ending. It's nice to hear somebody cover independent films. I feel like the MCU gets way too much coverage. This was a pretty good review and I look forward to hearing what you do next.
That’s the same issue I had with the movie, it wants to make it seems like it’s all in her head yet for anyone with 2 brain cells can see the obvious stranger danger displayed by that creep. The other issue was all the stupid decision she makes during the movie. I did enjoy the movie for the most part but the ending was a little ridiculous. She should have died and the last shot should have been her husband watching the spider walk out of the apartment and left that as the last shot.
I completely agree with you. That gut wrenching feeling of Frances seeing The Spider walk out of the apartment, knowing what he was going to find in there, was totally thrown away. Really well made video.
The most unbelievable part in the movie was her taking the metro from the cocktail party when it would have been a 15 min walk to her apartment. Not only taking the metro, but getting in at a station on one line and getting off at a station on a different line, which is 6 or more km away from her house located in the city center :))))) as a romanian living in Bucharest this irked me soo much :)))) I get it they had the scene in the train and foreign audiecenes will not catch that, but still, could have been done better or at least do not tell us the name of the stop she gets off...also, movies set in romania with no curtains on the windows? Not realistic at all, thank god she put them on after they had sex with the lights on in front of a big window overlooking another apartment building...smart characters everywhere 😂 ALSO neighbours not coming out immediately after the first shot fired??? In a country where we do not casually own guns and do not hear gunfire, again, not realistic... I liked the movie tho😊
Was anyone else excited when they thought this movie had the balls to actually complete a real tragedy. I was waiting for the husband to walk over and then see her lying there dead and then literally BOOM. All hopes shattered. Lol
To the film's defense, the Willis circle exists for a reason
not only that but her death would have made sense because the husband saw her bags that she was leaving the country so if the killer killed her and made the body disappear they would never know she died
This movie was very slow paced and the character of Julia annoyed me greatly. I'm thinking the whole time, "just stop looking out of the window at the guy!" I will bet that she wasn't even on his radar until she began to stare back at him every night. I think he was focusing on Irina as his next victim and Julia's paranoia and obsessive actions led him to target her as well. In the end she was right in her concern about him but any rational person would have thought her to be overreacting to the actions as they were presented. I thought the fact that she was able to grab the gun and shoot her attacker after he cut her neck and seemed to nick a major artery in her neck as she bled out profusely was a bit unbelievable and hacky.
He had been killing multiple people in the area. And was staring at her first. What makes you think he'd have stopped with Irina?
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d I didn't say he would have stopped with Irina. He more than likely wouldn't have as he was described as a serial killer but Julia was engaging this creep by staring at him and following him around. He himself said that when she waved at him, she being a beautiful woman, he found it to be inviting, so he waved back. That probably gave him more incentive to stalk her. By no means does that give someone the right of way to be stalked and murdered, but people like the Spider are not exactly the kind to adhere to regular social mores.
@@nonabliss She shouldn't have looked out her window anymore or waved? What a stupid idea. Can't predict what's going to set psychos off. Besides, her neighbour, Irina didn't trigger him by "waving" and he still killed her. Not her fault at all.
@@user-nv9vn8fm1d She wasn't just looking out of her window casually, she was looking at him, in his direction, more than once. She waved at him knowing he had been staring in that same position for days. That's why he waved back. Anybody who does that is just asking for trouble, which is what she got. Irina worked in the same strip club as a dancer where he worked as a janitor, so he was scoping her out at work and knew where she lived. Damn! I guess some people really need for things to be spelled out for them because they are too dense to figure it out for themselves.
@@nonabliss No. I'm just not a victim blaming psycho who thinks waving out a window is "asking for trouble". He wasn't just going to stop with her neighbour.
I do feel like there's a little bit too much contrivance in setting her up. Other people could be taking it a bit more seriously without it putting her in less danger. I'm pleased she didn't die in the end, but that amount of blood loss, if not fatal (which it should be) would cause extreme dizziness, lack of coordination, and probably lack of sensation.
I found the whole movie predictable and (predictably) disappointing. To me there was one brief shining moment of hope about 1 hour into it tho, where she has that graphic thought/premonition imagining spider putting a bag over her head. There are several better endings and directions the movie could have gone from this point. My favorite would be to have her continue having these thoughts, gradually blurring the lines of reality until the audience has no idea what is real and what isn't. You could even conclude with essentially the same ending EXCEPT that after she walks out into the hallway, she's no longer covered in blood and it looks instead like she just shot the neighbor in the hallway for no reason. 🎉 BAM 🎉 Sooooo much better
Not a bad idea actually.
It all comes down to execution. That's where I think I butt heads with many of the other commenters. I believe Watcher's ending was brilliantly executed; but fundamentally a bad idea.
Yeah the ending is not that bad, but i wish it was longer i really hated her boyfriend and the other people LOL
It would have sucked if he got away Scott free with killing her.
I agree with your analysis of the movie and your disapointment with the end. I think the scene could have been much more impactful if she had shot him from the ground and had passed right after with accusing eyes left opened to her husband and the spider in the door frame.
I like that ending much better.
The ending does not suck...was a good ending for what it is when it comes to the movie on a whole..
However the only issue i have that was a bit unrealistic is them showing her bleeding out from the neck when she is on the floor..by movie standards when u see that amount of blood it signals to the audience..yep their dead....but she didnt die and still had the strength after losing so much blood to stand and pump bullets into the antagonist lol..
I didnt want her to doe and was hoping when she was initially going for the gun she got it then and there to shoot him but they made us believe she was dead to give us that surprise kill..
Thats my only issue with the ending and idk how i would of felt if she really died and the killer walked away with the husband finding her body
Will you do a review of Cabinet of curiosities?
This film was perfection. Loved it.
Omg. I just finished watching this and your response is spot on!! I totally agree with all of it !
The most cliche movie I have ever seen
He wasn't an awful husband. He knew she was upset, he just didn't see the proof of her claims. He tried to help her a couple times but he just couldn't jump to the same conclusions considering she really had no proof other than some guy she saw staring at her now and then. She also said she was losing her mind which didn't help her case. The ending where she bled out so much then magically regained consciousness bothered me as well though.
He made slurs about her to his coworkers making her to be a laughing stock, the guy’s a joke
@@shanebracken8358 Really. One joke he made in light to his working peers makes him a joke?
@@AdamtheGrey02only men can be so non empathetic and justify other men making jokes about their wife's fear of being killed, raped and what not. Please, if your wife's concerns and fears seem like an inconvenience and a matter of flippant joke to seem cool in front of your other loser coworkers, don't marry!
He was an awful husband. He never believed her. From the start he dismissed her claims. Even Irina's ex did more for her than he did because he believed her without even knowing her. All that "husband" cared about was his job or what the neighbors thought of them. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't encourage his own friends to speak English when she was around, which is super rude in any language. They would just chat and laugh while Julia had to sit there throughout the whole thing.
@@gabrielab2473 He didn't dismiss her claims. He went down to the grocery store and she again had no proof other than he was was possibly staring at someone who was staring at her. He gave the guy the finger from his window because she said he was staring at her. He went over with the cops to talk to the guy. She was also wrong regarding that being him in the theater. Different clothes.
Excellent video. I completely agree!
What i have made myself understand about movies when it comes to believing characters..alot of times we get annoyed when ppl in the movie dont believe someone but we are watching the movie so we kno stuff they dont so if you looked at it from a realistic standpoint and remembering these ppl dont kno what we kno most times in real life we wouldn't believe alot of thr situations presented in movies..
So now i get less annoyed when the situation realistically i myself wouldnt believe unless there is clear ahd distinct evidence or patterns to see and in that case if thats in the movie and a person is still not being believed then it gets annoying lol
Just finished watching this movie. It was ok. Not great but definitely worth a worth and WOW This might be the worst analysis and misinterpretation of a film I’ve ever seen.
I agree love the movie.. But the ending should have been left dark.. That ending was unbelievable
First off, thank you for talking about this movie, because it kind of went by under the horror radar in the groundbreaking year that was 2022. And I agree with you, it would've been better to let Julia die. I think a good rule of thumb is that if a film has a lot of deaths, the best ending would be a to have survivor come out of it. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre probably ends in the best way it could have. And if a film lacks many ON SCREEN deaths, the ending should see an important death. The Strangers is a good example of that. Watcher plays it so straight that Julia's death feels really earned and heartbreaking. But the final scene makes it more """"""girlboss/good for her""""""", which has it's own place, but doesn't fit in this movie.
The Message? What is that?
This right here is the problem "who's idea was this'" Capitalism and this entitled era is destroying the art of storytelling. Storytelling isn't about you. Your role is to follow their journey.
I think this is the most pretentious comment I've ever gotten.
Not great. Solid idea squandered in typical Shyamalan fashion. Twists pretty much revealed the second there was any set up and really insulted the audience moving into the third act.
I'd recommend bc it was done fine, but if you've seen a lot of horror movies, this is a wasted opportunity with no surprises.
Btw, not gonna watch, not planning on watching any movies that have come out in last 5-10 years
Okay, I'll bite. Why don't you watch films released in the last 5-10 years?
Have fun missing alot of good stuff then 👋
@@lincolnsnow6166 yea very specific... and very peculiar
@@lincolnsnow6166 they lack creativity and are usually rip offs of other movies, ik it can be hard to make something unique but i feel the same way. newer movies are generally terribly written with some exceptions obv im just generally speaking
Okay 😂
Ya the ending pretty much ruined it for me. The film really disappointed me.
jesus, take it easy
I thought the ending was good, but I think it would have been perfect if after she shoots the stalker and she looks at her husband, she would have said "Now do u believe me u prick?" then went to black, end credits. I think that final line would have added a touch of levity and been perfect.
lmfao that’s so corny
@@ethan1834 I'm not good at things.
This story didn't need levity. That's the point. The entire tone of the story is that of a tragedy that's why it would have been better if she died.
That line would fit if this was a dark comedy, actually the entire ending would have worked better if this was a dark comedy but it wasn't portrayed that way.
@iW34Rglasses00 I don't think ur picturing how I'm picturing she'd say something to that extent. The way I'm picturing her saying it has no humor to the her tone. She just wants to convey that she was never crazy or paranoid.
I think the director was pressured into ending it that way. I can't see any other reason. The film did such a great job of depicting her as somewhat schizophrenic. So in the end, you feel awful because you realize you didn't fully believe her either. It's such a powerful feeling completely wasted because Rambo's part-time doctor daughter thought the best thing to do, instead of running for the gun, was to crawl and pretend to be dead in front of the person who's known for watching people for hours before cutting their heads off.
Me encantó la pelicula
Leaving her dead would have actually made the movie memorable. Horror works best when they have the balls to end in tragedy. The last 5 seconds of the movie truely ruined the whole experience.
She murdered him :/ he was walking away.
Yeah after he slit her throat and decapitated her friend..
girl?? he murdered multiple women
The movie could be better. Its just so-so