I CAN SEE

julho 17, 2023

May 21st 09:03

Graham Reznick, resident sound designer for the films of Larry Fessenden’s Scareflix line, has stepped up to the plate and written, directed, produced and edited his own feature film, I CAN SEE YOU. Opening this week at New York City’s Cinema Purgatorio and arriving on DVD May 26 (joined in both showcases by Reznick’s 3-D short THE VIEWER), it is without a doubt one of the most intriguing and well-crafted low-budget horror films in recent memory.

Richards (Ben Dickinson), Doug (Duncan Skiles) and Kimble (Christopher D. Ford) are the creators of a small new marketing firm trying to catch their big break. It comes in the form of an opportunity to pitch an environmentally friendly ad campaign for the ClaraClean Company, a corporation whose number-one product is Claractix, a cleansing product that supposedly works wonders. Unsatisfied with their Internet searches for images of breathtaking forests and ultra-green pastures, Doug (the aggressive, sleazy, ultra-yuppie self-imposed leader) convinces Richards and Kimble that they all need to get in touch with nature by heading out for a weekend camping trip and take some beautiful photographs themselves.

The trio, along with Kimble’s gorgeous but mostly mute girlfriend Sonia (Villanti), head out and quickly settle in for some old school camping. Some friends join them for a night of drinking, and Richards is finally able to muster up the courage to talk to a girl he’s had his eye on for a while, a girl named Summer. Liquid courage plays a large role in this, and before you know it, the two are doing the horizontal bop in the middle of the woods.

I Can See You reviewThe next day, liquor being out of the picture, is when things get complicated. Seems Richards isn’t so good with conversation minus the alcohol, but Doug is able to get along perfectly fine. While Richards floats in the lake, sans glasses (his blurry, distorted POV makes this scene and other scenes unsettling), Doug and Summer walk off together … and are never seen again. At least, not together.

This is when the really strange and psychedelic stuff ramps up to full gear. It’s akin to an acid trip, actually. Take a hit right as the movie starts up, and chances are as soon as the acid kicks in, the movie starts twisting at the same time. Now that I really think about it, I think I’m going to try that…

The setting, some unspoken tension between Kimble and Sonia, the music and a very bizarre, out of nowhere rock and roll song (sung by director Reznick, performed by Skiles) along with the frequent appearance by former product spokesman Mickey Hauser (Fessenden), both in Richards’ head and later in the actual forest itself, work together to make I Can See You one of the most indefinable films I think I’ve ever seen. It’s certainly nowhere close to a straight-up horror film, but if one had to squeeze it into a specific category, that would be about the most fitting.

I Can See You reviewMy main issues were the incredibly slow (read: deliberate) pacing for the first half of the film and the simple fact that the last 20 or so minutes really make no sense at all. I’m sure there are subtleties that would be caught on a second viewing (perhaps that acid would help in this respect), but one would really have to make sure they were focused on the subtext of nearly every scene. Though I usually don’t mind movies that utilize what could best be called “dream logic” (or “nightmare logic” in this case), it is something one really has to be in the mood for.

The cinematography and sound design give every indication that Reznick knew exactly what he was doing and what he was trying to say with I Can See You; nothing here is an accident. For that reason alone Reznick’s one to keep an eye on for future efforts; I just hope he keeps the psychedelia to a minimum next time and focuses more on a linear story.

I foresee I Can See You being a movie that splits opinions when it’s finally out to the masses; it really is something you have to be in the mood for both mentally and emotionally. Hopefully knowing what to expect will help form a better, more well rounded opinion of it down the line.

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