I SEE YOU: A Film With A Twist Or Two – Or Three

Every so often, a film tosses a narrative monkey wrench into the cynical gears reviewers have kept well greased by watching copious amounts of predictable movies. With director Adam Randall’s I See You, convention takes a backseat in both the form and function of what is expected from the typical Hollywood thriller, all the while relying heavily on overused tricks and tropes to a satisfying end. From clichéd plot devices to the somber score, what starts off feeling amateurish and tiresome becomes a crafty nailbiter.

What Am I Watching Again?

With more twists than M. Night Shyamalan on a Tilt-A-Whirl, trying to convey what exactly makes I See You so interesting is no easy task without treading into serious spoiler territory.

The plot starts out with the abduction of a ten-year-old boy who is snatched from his bike by an invisible force that whisks him off-screen. Cut to Jackie Harper, played by Helen Hunt, meekly dealing with her angsty teen son named Connor and irate detective husband named Greg. A family drama unfolds in typical fashion with arguments and family photos telling the story of a once happy home broken by Jackie’s affair with another man. To make matters worse, Greg is assigned to the missing child case which matches a case he and his partner solved years earlier. So far, I See You has all the earmarks of a dramatic thriller only to have the plot thicken.

Back at home, Jackie begins to notice strange occurrences happening around the house. Things disappearing from the kitchen, the record player turning on by itself, pictures missing from frames. When asked, Connor denies having anything to do it, leaving the door open for a supernatural element. This leads to a second-act found footage scene with completely new characters having their own adventure.

What’s next? A Bigfoot? Dubious of where any of this was headed, I felt a twinge of interest to watch on.

The Twists Keep Comin’

Forget what you think you know about halfway through this film, which is easy to do with the several side plots, red herrings and brain wrenching twists. The story is ridiculously layered atop several other stories to the point of coincidentally impossible ends. There are moments of sheer exhaustion for the audience through the relentless shifting of who to root for or revile. I found my opinion ebb and flow through the relentless denouements vying to be the final conclusion in this convoluted tale.

And then, like a moment of cinematic zen, it somehow all made sense.

After finding myself completely turned off by the final twist, writer Devon Greye ends this mishmash with a satisfyingly obvious double twist. The structure of the screenplay is blatant in its purpose of blindsiding with seemingly random story beats, which left on their own would’ve played as lazy but instead come to a cohesive head.

Final Thoughts

The big issue with a twist ending comes with rewatchability. Films like The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense, or even Psycho, being a few of the coveted classics, hold the unfortunate mantle of being truly potent the first time around only to be disappointing on future viewings. Well, maybe a second watch if just to see how the sausage was made. It is hard to laugh when you already know the punchline and to hinge your movie on a big reveal can be a huge gamble. The average moviegoer may not come back for seconds in the way a habitual cinephile might, and if the twist doesn’t stick the landing, forget about it altogether.

So, what did I think of this messy bit of business? The praise I have for I See You is not without some reservation. This could be a very trying watch for many with its purposefully unbalanced narrative and random shifts in style. A once likable character can heel turn in a snap and vice versa. It feels hacky at times and inspired the next. Nothing is ever what it seems but the patient viewer may just find the journey rewarding. Even with the slight viewer fatigue one might experience, I See You is a strong recommend with a few minor snags. Overall, the film is a well-crafted head-scratcher even if it doesn’t seem so at first.

A good twist can make a film a classic. What are some of your favorite films with a twist ending? Let the Film Inquiry community know in the comment section and get the conversation started.

I See You is in theaters now.