Elijah Wood can not lose when it comes to horror and Open Windows is a testament to that fact. The film twists the two genres together and, in my eyes, inadvertently creates a new way of presenting a story that is not like anyway I have seen before. I'm sure someone out there will call this found footage, but it's not and it's not handheld, yet some of it technically is. It really doesn't fit into any pre-made category that currently exists.
The premiss seems simple on the surface Nick Chambers (Wood) is the webmaster of JillGoddard-Coulet.com and wins a contest to have dinner, followed by a Q&A with Jill Goddard (Grey). While sitting in his hotel room he receives a call from "Chord" (Neil Maskell) a man claiming to work for Jill Goddard and informs him that Jill has canceled their dinner and he has wasted his time coming to meet her. As an act of selfless retribution Chord hacks Jill's phone to give Nick something to take home as a parting gift. But once Nick starts down the rabbit hole, he finds that there may be no way of ever getting out....
From the synopsis it appears to be a basic high tech stalker film, but it quickly becomes much more. The plot is woven in a way that connects everything to everyone. Each and every detail means something specific to the plot, from Nevada to the music in the car it all has its importance.
The filming style is very unique. As I said previously, some will try and tag this as found footage because they think anything shot handheld mean found footage. Yet, saying it is handheld doesn't really make sense because 80% of the shots are locked down in one way or another. It is a mix or traditional shooting and something that I haven't found a word that best describes it yet. The Cinematographer on the film was Jon D. Dominguez and I would really like to ask him what he calls it, because right now I'm just going to say its beautiful.
Woods plays the role to perfection. I honestly believe there is nothing this guy can not do. His range is everywhere, from timid to down right crazy Woods can do it. Grey really shocks me with her acting ability. every time I see her cast in a non-porn I believe it will be hindered, but each time she pulls it off as if she has been a leading actor her whole life (I guess technically she has been, just a different form of acting.).
Nacho Vigalondo has written and directed a solid film here. he has pulled off something new and inventive in a time when I thought I had seen it all. Open Windows is a great experiment in film that takes story telling to a whole new level. The film is smooth and consistent on all fronts and never has a dull moment. It is a thrill ride of a movie and has and ending that you won't see coming.
Rating: 8/10 Stars
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1