The Observance
This low-budget movie is one of those gems that I stumbled across while sifting through the long list of movies on our Amazon Fire TV. (Can I get endorsement money for that or something?) I broke it down into my usual categories here. The low budget actually made the movie better in a variety of ways, and it’s still high-enough quality that you’ll still enjoy the film.
Good
Main Character
One of the best parts about this movie is the main character, whose name actually slips me at the moment. He’s the perfect mixture of regretful, depressed, but working hard to try and set up a better future for himself. He has the typical just-out-of-a-breakup story, which isn’t anything new, but the movie pulls it off very well. It didn’t feel forced, and his acting ability was on display throughout.
Low Budget/Grimy
This movies takes place in a really dark, disgusting, dangerous atmosphere which is perfect for the storyline. Besides having the audacity to make a stalker the good guy (not actually a new thing), this movie puts him in a horrible living-space. The payments keep him there until the bitter end, but there are so many problems I wanted him to leave almost as soon as he arrived. From the skin of his back peeling off to the disgusting water and the jar of blood that fills, you’ve gotta keep your eyes open for all the tiny details. They’re really what make this a good movie.
Ending (Idea)
This ending was about as close to perfection as they could have done. It’s ambiguous, but in the right kind of way. I just felt good about it. Like I understood exactly what happened on a physical level, even if I didn’t really know why (as opposed to I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House which answers half of each question). I still can’t quite understand what happened. My main questions are: Why did he do that at the end? Who was hiring him? and What the heck is going on across the street? but those are all questions I feel comfortable carrying for the rest of my life (unless somebody has the answers, in which case I WIll PAY FOR THEM).
Bad
Ending (Pace)
While the actual ending was perfect and completely unexpected, the pace leading up to it kind of fell flat. The movie did so good being methodical and thoughtful with all their movies for the bulk of the film, but then rushed everything right at the end. That took away some of the power that the ending could have had, sadly, and left a little bit to be desired in terms of storyline over the last half an hour.
Brother?
I never understood the point of his brother coming to visit him. Like, yeah, I know he was bringing him food or something, and it did go towards developing his character a bit, but all the same I didn’t understand why he would be allowed to come. It seemed like he shouldn’t have known about the job in the first place, and if he did he should have helped the main character find a different way to make a living, something less dangerous and terrible.
Overall
This movie struck all the right notes, but it was the main actor who absolutely earned this one a…
David Kummer 