Open Windows is a 2014 Spanish-American horror thriller film directed and written by Nacho Vigalondo. The film stars Elijah Wood (Come to Daddy; Cooties; Maniac), Sasha Grey and Neil Maskell.
Plot:
Elijah Wood stars as a fanboy of actress Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey), and as the winner of an online contest he gets the rare chance to have a dinner date with her. However, when the dinner plans are withdrawn someone named Chord says he can make up for it.
Chord gives Nick (Elijah Wood) the tools to spy on Jill from his computer, in a way that no fan could ever dream of. After each demand Chord gives Nick, it becomes apparent that Chord set the whole thing up and Nick is a part of a much bigger, more sinister plan…
Reviews:
“It’s clear what Vigalondo was trying to accomplish, and there are even clear homages to Hitchcock and De Palma’s Body Double, but he just never gets his footing. Open Windows is a sloppy film that spreads itself in far too many directions to even be comprehensible at times. I want to erase this film from my memory.” Black Sheep Reviews
“It’s hard to look away from the film for fear of missing one little moment, but it’s also hard to really accept everything that is happening. You’ll find the most enjoyment in this one if you can ignore the little nuisances.” The Film Reel
“A disgusting tale that imagines its tiny side dish of commentary on toxic fandom and male entitlement makes up for it being a perfect example of such.” Flick Filosopher
“Only someone like Nacho Vigalondo could have pulled this off and pull it off he has. It has a few flaws and chinks in the armour, but Open Windows is a taut and tense thrill-ride that with some of the most impressive filmmaking techniques seen in many a year.” Flickering Myth
“It’s pretty silly stuff, leaving the film to rely on more conventional car chases, woman-in-peril scenarios and mistaken identity to keep things interesting — all seen on that laptop via security cameras and the like. Grey’s character tries once or twice to take charge of her situation, but the actress herself isn’t as resourceful.” The Hollywood Reporter
“The evocative sparseness of the first act becomes a vague memory as more and more generic genre busy-ness is heaped onto the woodpile, and so a film that’s initially primed to parody the corrosive, self-entitled inhumanity, particularly the misogyny, of the World Wide Web becomes another parade of ostentatious shoot-’em-up effects.” Slant
“Barely maintaining coherence if not plausibility, the compulsively watchable result should enjoy a vigorous fest and VOD life; fitting as it might be to stream it on your laptop, its complex visual layers and blink-and-you-miss-’em plot turns are best suited to the big screen.” Variety
“Open Windows spams audiences with an overload of development without much explanation, much like those information-less ads claiming to solve your impotency problem with a magic formula. Vigalondo, unfortunately, doesn’t have that perfectly crafted code, and Open Windows ends up being a second rate techy nightmare featuring strong performances recorded for our viewing pleasure – or pain.” We Got This Covered
“Wood is a smart choice for the lead role. Given the decision to present the film in the first person POV, he is on camera constantly and there are few actors I would more willingly spend 100 minutes of my life with. Unfortunately, his performance is not enough to keep the picture on course. The film is ultimately derailed by the schizophrenic nature inherent to both the script and the chosen method of storytelling.” Wicked Horror
Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk
