Within the home invasion sub-genre, it has
become something of a trope to use a victim with an impairment. This was
established early on with the blind protagonists in Wait Until Dark (1967)
and See No Evil (1971) and has continued with the recent wave of home
invasion films including Mischief Night (2013) and Blind (2019).
Mike Flanagan also provided a variation on the trope with the hearing-impaired
victim of Hush (2016). Often these impairments are a new reality for the
protagonist, and the efforts to evade and fight back against the intruders of
the home invasion narrative provide opportunity for renewed confidence. Canadian
home invasion thriller See For Me predictably follows this formula,
though it does so with a few new twists.
Before losing
her sight, Sophie (Skyler Davenport) had a successful career as a professional skier.
Rather than working towards learning how to ski with the help of a guide, the
bitter teen takes jobs housesitting for wealthy homeowners, stealing from them
on the side. Worried about the isolation of a job watching a cat and remote
luxury home owned by a recently divorced woman (Laura Vandervoort), Sophie’s
mother (Natalie Brown) sends her the link for a new app called ‘See for Me.’ As
resistant as Sophie is to assistance from anyone, she is forced to use the
service after being locked out of the home. Sophie is connected to ‘See for Me’
employee Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy), an Iraq War veteran with a penchant
for first-person shooter video games.
Sophie relies on
Kelly’s eyes as well as her military/gaming skills when the home is suddenly
invaded on her first night in the home. Three intruders (George Tchortov, Pascal
Langdale, and Joe Pingue) break in and disable the alarm with the guidance of a
fourth man (Kim Coates) located somewhere in the wilderness outside the house
as a lookout. Unaware that Sophie is inside, they attempt to crack into a safe
hidden in the walls of the home. With the help of Kelly, Sophie evades the thieves
and makes plans to defend herself while waiting for the police to respond to
her call for help.
See for Me
lacks the intensity of some of the more brutal home invasion horror, while retaining
much of the formula. The one addition to the narrative is the assistance provided
by Kelly, which is foreshadowed early on with a scene of the veteran barking
commands to fellow gamers online. Once Sophie is able to arm herself with a
handgun, Kelly guides her actions to defend herself against the attacking
invaders. Even this added element is somewhat fleeting, as the trope of a low
cell phone battery is brought into the mix.
Predictable and
formulaic as See for Me may be, it will satisfy the expectations of audiences
who enjoy home invasion thrillers. In the past two decades these narratives
have become increasingly popular, and with that comes a certain amount of
repetition. These elements may be found in countless other home invasion films
but See for Me manages to utilize them with a higher level of effectiveness
than most. While somewhat forgettable, there are enough thrills in See for Me
to keep audiences engaged.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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