Intense films like Don’t Breathe, Run, Misery, and especially Panic Room reflect the brand of ferocious nail-biting suspense you can expect from director Randall Okita’s Tribeca thriller, See for Me. Blind former skier Sophie (Skyler Davenport) gets a new gig housesitting for a wealthy client. The place has it all: a partition in the kitchen, a gorgeous view of nature, and a giant solarium. The sprawling, secluded mansion presents the perfect opportunity for Sophie to steal a treasure with little repercussions. In the midst of her stay, three intruders break in with their eyes on the contents of an impenetrable safe.
Sophie calls 9-1-1 first—about a response time, the operator conveniently informs her that “given your location, I can’t be sure exactly.” Sophie’s only option here is to utilize the help of handy app, See for Me, which throws her on a video chat with a random operator who acts as her guide amongst her blindness. Kelly, played by The Flash’s Jessica Parker Kennedy, ends up on the other side of the call. An Iraqi war vet, Kelly’s guidance is all that stands in the way of Sophie and the lurking thieves.
See for Me is the kind of film where the less you know, the more you will enjoy it. There are plenty of surprises along the way, and it is significantly above your average survival chiller. If the comparisons to Panic Room didn’t already clue you in, this hinges heavily on character-based drama and anxiety-inducing tension.
The final act leans into action and philosophically interesting questions. Lead talent Skyler Davenport does a phenomenal job of portraying a character who isn’t simply rattled or scared; non-binary actor Davenport is also legally blind. Sophie is as layered and intriguing as her skiing past would have you believe. She is not hampered by her blindness, nor is she cowering in a corner somewhere. With the aide of Kelly’s influence, can Sophie become a killer? The answer is consistently engaging and never boring. From the second Sophie arrives at the mansion, I was totally engrossed in her story. See for Me is one of the best out-and-out thrillers I’ve watched in a long time, chock-full of memorable moments and vibrating with girl power.
See for Me had its online world premiere via 2021 Tribeca at Home, June 10th.
