Observance

Director - Joseph Sims-Dennett (Bad Behaviour)

Starring - Lindsay Farris (Primal), Stephanie King (Teenage Kicks), and John Jarratt (Wolf Creek)

Release Date - 2015

Genre - Horror/Thriller

Tagline - "They are watching"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been watching a lot of thrillers lately.  Thrillers tend to be a little more artistic than horror.  They usually have great cinematography and amazing atmosphere but the story usually gets in over it's head.  They try to wow the viewer and leave them dumbfounded which usually results in a lot of missed opportunities.  There has been a few thrillers that took the simple approach that really wowed me but for the most part they tend to leave me in a daze.  Nothing worse than a predictable thriller that tries to hit you with a twist.  Recently I was sent the Australian horror thriller Observance from Artsploitation Films.  The film was a simple thriller that didn't try to confuse.  Instead, it put you to sleep.
     The film follows a private investigator who is commissioned to watch and observe a young woman.  He needs the money and accepts the offer.  He finds himself an empty apartment across from her where he sets up his gear but soon starts to question his morals and sanity when he begins to witness strange things happen to her and those around her.  He tries to back out of the deal but his client refuses to let him forcing him to finish the job.
     Thrillers try to be complex.  They want to make the viewer think while throwing some chills and twists at them.  I get that.  It can be fun but most thrillers take on stories that are too complex or lack the budget and know how to make it effective.  Observance breaks away from the complex storyline but delivers a film that has no substance.  The acting in this one is great.  I have been lucky enough here lately that the last few films I reviewed all had great casts.  The cast we have before us in Observance is great.  They work very well with each other and go over a wide range of emotions.  I love seeing a film where the cast goes through different degrees.  The cast was great but the film was not.  The story for this one is not complex.  In fact, it is so simple that the viewer will have a hard time paying attention.  The film, for the most part, is a man watching a woman.  Nothing else.  It was one of the most boring experience I have ever had with a movie.  I enjoy simple stories but this one takes the cake for lack of imagination.  Finally, those of you that want blood will be disappointed.  The film is story driven and not blood driven.  Sadly, it has neither.  No story or blood.  Overall, Observance was one that I had high hopes for but was very disappointed with.  I needed something more than a guy watching someone else while strange things happen around them.  We need a little more action and a lot more character development.