See for Me is a home invasion movie that does things a little differently. The movie is about Sophie, a former skier who is house-sitting at a secluded mansion. When the house is broken into, the blind Sophie must use a new app to escape alive. The most obvious change to the formula is Sophie’s blindness. Home invasion is one of the most tense sub genres. Much like 2016’s Hush, a physical impairment makes things even more suspenseful. This is effortlessly highlighted throughout See for Me. The film does a great job of playing up just how much the odds are stacked against Sophie.
There have been other home invasion movies involving visually impaired characters, but See for Me keeps things grounded. Sophie does not have superpowered hearing or exceptional fighting skills (though she does some things that are a little too remarkable at times). This adds to the intrigue of the story. However, what makes the movie work so well is how well rounded the character of Sophie is. The audience is worried about her safety, but never feels pity. She works with a guide from the See for Me app, but never becomes an overpowered hero. (Again, the film walks a very thin line here.) The most interesting thing about Sophie are the decisions she makes.
Sophie is not a typical protagonist who grows as the story progresses and ends up a good person. There is definitely a lot of that, but See for Me allows for the character to be flawed, bitter, and even unlikable. This is a brave decision that does not follow a normal character arc. It ends up paying off by making the character and film more fleshed out.
Nothing ever feels forced in See for Me which makes all the twists and turns more interesting. It also keeps audiences on edge. There is truly no predicting what Sophie will do since many choices are based on what is happening at the moment. Home invasion movies tend to focus on how far a person would go to survive. See for Me is centered more about how someone would react, leading to a more realistic film.
See for Me come to select theaters, digital, and on demand January 7
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