When Sophie is hired to pet sit for a rich client in the countryside, she doesn’t expect much action. Unfortunately for her, a trio of burglar soon turn her quiet gig into a home invasion nightmare. To survive, she must get the help of a woman she does not know through an app for the blind that she uses regularly.
Written by Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue and directed by Randall Okita, See for Me is a home invasion thriller with the added stress that the lead is blind. While she is an athlete and thus has some physical capacities, she was left blind after a sporting accident and has learned to function with a can and an app where people can look at things through her phone camera to guide her. Here, the film makes great uses of darkness, technology, and a few other tricks here and there. The film s well-written and directed with plenty of tense moments and some seriously well managed acting.
In the role of Sophie, our blind but not helpless lead, is Skyler Davenport, a visually-impaired actor who takes their knowledge of blindness and applies it to this part perfectly. The fact that they do not actually see gives them both an advantage and a disadvantage here, making it harder to navigate the sets, while making it easier to understand and represent the plight of a blind person. The fact that they play Sophie as a young person not just capable, but wanting to be their own savior adds to the film here. Playing the person Sophie spends a lot of time on the app with is Jessica Parker Kennedy who comes off as badass and not just helpful, but also quite knowledgeable in how to deal with stressful situations. This is definitely in the film’s writing but Parker Kennedy also brings a lot to the table for this part. Playing the house burglars are George Tchortov, Pascal Langdale, and Joe Pingue who make a team of somewhat bumbling thieves who didn’t fully know what they were getting into. Playing their boss is Kim Coates who nails his part as usual. A few more round out the cast with short appearances that have an impact on the story and the film. The cast overall is on point here with performances that give the film its backbone and connection with the viewer.
This film takes place in the dark in many scenes, most of the time, with limited sources of light. The cinematography by Jordan Oram and Jackson Parrell works with this limited light beautifully, showing that a film can take place in the dark while letting the viewer see everything they need to see. Their work shows that it possible to shoot in the dark, with limited lighting sources, and still give the viewer beautiful images.
See for Me is a great thriller taking place in a beautiful remote house that shows what can be done in the dark, with a blind lead, using technology the right way. Some viewers will connect this film to Wait Until Dark in which Audrey Hepburn plays a blind woman dealing with a trio of burglars. Here, the film definitely updates things and makes them its own, giving the viewer a thrilling story with great performances, great visuals, and a good time watching it.