By Renato Mota
It is not uncommon in cinema that new (or less new) technologies serve as a link to tell a story. Like John Cho’s daughter’s laptop in “Finding …” (2018), Adam Sandler’s magic remote control in “Click” (2006) or computer science in general in the classic “Hackers: Computer Pirates” (1995), with Angelina Jolie. But films that use assistive technology as a script resource are rare, as in the case of Canadian director Randall Okita’s thriller ‘Look for Me’, which debuts in Brazil next Thursday (16).
In the plot, Sophie (Skyler Davenport, making her big screen debut) is a visually impaired teenager who has to take care of the isolated mansion and the cat of Debra (Laura Vandervoort), who, just divorced, is on a multi-day trip. . However, three criminals break into her home to rob her, and Sophie’s only help is a smartphone app called “See for Me,” which links her to Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy), a former military man who spends her days playing video games. shoot online. Not only does Kelly have to be Sophie’s eyes during the tense situation, but she uses her knowledge to guide her friend to escape.
Unlike other films that portray blind people, Sophie – who is a former skier diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa – does not acquire superpowers when she loses her sight. And in the same line of more recent productions that have characters with disabilities, such as “O Som do Metal”, “Coda – In the Rhythm of the Heart” and even “Eternos”, by Marvel, ‘See for Me’ has a person who is really visually impaired who plays the protagonist. Skyler Davenport is legally blind “I have a neurological condition, which combined with a stroke in 2012. The production was looking for someone who was blind and I applied,” she says, in an exclusive interview with Olhar Digital.
From the beginning of the film, Sophie doesn’t want to be defined by her condition. She was a successful athlete before her diagnosis of her and she wants to remain independent after her diagnosis of her (much to her mother’s horror). This also creates some friction with his friend Cam (Keaton Kaplan), who helps him in training for the Paralympic Games and usually guides him. For Sophie, the app is a way to get by without sight in everyday life, without creating an addictive bond with the person on the other side, while the job of “cat babysitting” (and other activities) guarantees her a source. of income. Until the young woman finds herself locked away from the mansion and connects with Kelly.
Davenport says that little of his routine matches his character. “My vision loss is different, but I use a lot of headphones, like Sophie, and the text-to-speech function on my smartphone, because typing is very difficult for me,” she explains. The app, which is the central point of the plot, is however a novelty. “Until I saw the script, I didn’t know these apps existed that help people. I thought the writers invented it. It would be nice to have one of these in the first few years after the stroke, “adds Davenport, who is not a big tech user.” For me, using my smartphone a lot is physically difficult. I use it for work, email, looking at a few things. on YouTube, but it won’t take long if I have to read it. “
Watch the trailer:
The cat and mouse storyline between Sophie, Kelly and the villains has several turning points that help keep the tension high throughout the 90+ minute film. And mostly they happen by subverting our expectations of the characters. Sophie is far from being the “good and innocent blind girl”, Kelly is more than just a computer gamer and the bad guys each have their own motives for the crime.
In particular, I have a soft spot for movies that take place over a short period of time. In this sense, Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue’s script is very competent in using Sophie’s day at the mansion to get used to the place, while building the young woman’s relationship with Kelly, and the night to lead the robbery and chase. . of thugs. In the more tense scenes, the sequences from the mobile camera’s perspective create a first-person perspective reminiscent of “found footage” films, such as “The Blair Witch Project” (1999), but with the dynamism of a video game. .
This gamer aesthetic can also be translated into the interaction between Kelly and Sophie. The former military man guides the nanny from her gaming monitors, sitting in a gaming chair and wearing her Alienware headphones. It’s like Sophie is Kelly’s character in a horror / thriller like “Resident Evil” or “Silent Hill”. Only with the difference that the blind girl has stopped, the terror is real and she has no extra lives, which makes her a somewhat rebellious character in the game.
“See by Me” was filmed in Canada in 2020, due to the covid-19 pandemic, premiered at the Tribeca festival only in 2021, has gone through a few independent festivals and is now only out in theaters in mid-2022. However, thanks to the audience who saw the film and commented on social media, the film created momentum among fans of the thriller and helped draw attention to Davenport’s work – which, due to the isolation of the quarantine, can only follow from afar. “I followed everything from my apartment. I knew it was going to debut in Tribeca, but not that it was going to other festivals before hitting the commercial circuit. I found out when people were tweeting me, congratulating me, “she recalls.
The post “Veja Por Mim” uses assistive technologies in favor of suspense | The review first appeared on Digital Look.
Source: Olhar Digital
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
