See for Me is a 2020 Canadian thriller film about a blind teenager fending off thieves with the assistance of a unique iPhone app.
Directed by Randall Okita from a screenplay co-written by Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue.
The Wildling Pictures production stars visually impaired actor Skyler Davenport, Kim Coates, Jessica Parker Kennedy and Laura Vandervoort. Produced by Matt Code, David Di Brina and Kristy Neville.
Plot:
Blind teenager Sophie (Skyler Davenport) is house-sitting at a secluded mansion that comes under attack from thieves seeking a hidden safe.
Her only means of defence is the iPhone app ‘See for Me’ which connects her to Kelly, a veteran and volunteer across the country who spends her days playing first-person shooter games online and who must now see on Sophie’s behalf…
[May contain mild spoilers] Reviews:
“Director Randall Okita uses angles and lighting to enhance his film. There is excellent use of the color red and the shadows add a layer of intrigue and suspense. See for Me makes maximum use of the film’s space. Though events take place in a large home, there is a tight feel to everything that is going on.” AIPT
“In already suggesting Sophie’s poker-faced temperament, the film framing her as anything other than a victim is much easier to swallow than had she been a more timid-leaning type who finds the strength to uncharacteristically overpower her assailants. Sophie is a capable and manipulative force from the off, giving See For Me a morally questionable heroine who’s far more relatable than perhaps we’d like to admit.” The Au Review
“It’s a simple story that’s stunningly executed. The home invasion is a thrilling means for Sophie to work through her inner demons, of which she has many. It perhaps wraps up a bit too tidily, but Sophie’s flaws and the moral complications they create add distinct layers to this well-crafted and propulsive thriller.” Bloody Disgusting
“This isn’t your usual remote cabin in snowy woods, even if the movie occasionally follows in formulaic footsteps. And besides centering on someone you can side with without feeling too skuzzy, See for Me also ups Don’t Breathe’s anemic ante by featuring entertaining twists that aren’t sensationalized swerves. Those surprises put an intriguing spin on the home invasion concept…” Culture Crypt
“The film heads down a winding slope with many turns you wouldn’t expect – and plenty of violence […] See for Me is an effective, nail-biting thriller that leaves you guessing at every turn, but also doesn’t leave you with questions unanswered as to who and why the events unfold. It has everything going for it, especially by simply giving talent like Davenport a chance.” Daily Dead
” …a pretty standard home invasion ordeal. The twist here doesn’t come from a heroic viewpoint on Sophie’s end. Randall Okita ensures that he doesn’t mislead by making any of these characters extraordinary. In fact, he makes sure that all of them have some kind of negative connotations.” High on Films
“See for Me is the kind of film where the less you know, the more you will enjoy it. There are plenty of surprises along the way, and it is significantly above your average survival chiller. If the comparisons to Panic Room didn’t already clue you in, this hinges heavily on character-based drama and anxiety-inducing tension.” Josh at the Movies
“Director Randall Okita makes exceptional use of the cavernous residence in which the film was shot, utilizing unorthodox camera movements and leveraging the floor-to-ceiling windows to great effect […] Some moments border on campy, as Sophie effectively becomes a living FPS avatar for Kelly to control, but the originality of the concept and the near-constant buildup of tension helps to offset any silliness.” The Lamplight Review
“It’s only in the climax, when Sophie finds herself left without the aid of the app and forced to rely on her own ingenuity, that See for Me finally becomes the sort of cat and mouse thriller you expect from its premise. We’re left to wonder how much more effective a thriller this might have been had its heroine not had the aid of modern technology.” The Movie Waffler
“The main problem is the lack of tension in the setup. It’s a thriller. Per the home-invasion premise, we’re trying to figure out how and when the “bad guys” will arrive on the scene. Sophie has her personal foibles that prevent her from being a completely likable character […] There are other weak points and unresolved storylines that are huge.” Music City Drive-In
“Director Randall Okita maintains a tense pace and, with cinematographers Jackson Parrell and Jordan Oram, makes eerie use of flashlights and phone lights as sole sources of illumination. He also makes the most of the central house location and its many windows, with wide shots (both inside and outside) letting us see where both Sophie and her pursuers are, then getting in tighter to keep us in suspense as to when they’ll collide.” Rue Morgue
“So, the trick, plot-wise is to surprise the viewer with an unexpected twist or turn, narrative or otherwise; the more the better, and on this score, See For Me zigs whenever I expected it to zag, and zags where I expected it to zig, to the point that I just found myself completely caught up in whatever the filmmakers gave me.” Screen Anarchy
“The laid-back villains aren’t a particularly threatening or imposing lot, but the film’s action sequences are well-done, making good use of the See for Me technology. With the film’s big-name star not making his appearance until late in the game, the film’s trajectory is a predictable one, but no less tense, nor thrilling. See for Me is a smart take on a well-worn subgenre…” Starburst
“Watching from Sophie’s point of view as Kelly moves her around like her avatar in Call of Duty is fun for a few minutes but it quickly wears thin […] The film has its moments, and even something as simple as having the app still being in beta and glitchy would have created more of those moments. But as it stands they’re few and far between.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
See for Me had its online world premiere via the 2021 Tribeca at Home on June 10th 2021.
In North America, IFC Films will release See for Me theatrically and On-Demand on January 7th 2022.
Cast and characters:
Skyler Davenport … Sophie
Kim Coates … Rico
Jessica Parker Kennedy … Kelly
Laura Vandervoort … Debra
George Tchortov … Otis
Pascal Langdale … Ernie
Emily Piggford … Deputy Brooks
Joe Pingue … Dave
Matthew Gouveia … Cabbie
Keaton Kaplan … Cam
Trailer:
Clip:
