You Are Not Alone (2016)
Starring Krista Dzialoszynski, David O’Brien, Mary Mikva
Directed by Derek Mungor
The act of replacing “found footage” with “first-person POV” isn’t all too terribly different from an audience standpoint – I mean, if you’re going to get nauseous with swaying, jerking, whipping camera usage (okay, gotta sit down for a minute), it’ll happen regardless of how you’re looking through the eyes of the affected.
In Derek Mungor’s POV thriller You Are Not Alone, we get to see first-hand the results of what will most likely be the heir to the found footage throne… and it’s not much more reassuring to those with motion-sickness issues. Slap on your puke-guards, as this one’s going to frappe your guts into a fine paste.
This 93-minute jaunt into the world of slow, plodding home-invasion terror follows our leading lady, Natalie (Dzialoszynski), as she visits her hometown for a little Independence Day fun (no, I’m not talking about an alien invasion). What I mean is some party time with the family and friends, some fireworks displays, and a little terrorizing from a kook who wants to break into her home and slice her up (I’d have just sufficed with the fireworks, but that’s me).
The film is shot through her eyes, and we get to see her take her time as far as relaxation goes… and I mean a LONG TIME – we’re talking some 50 minutes into the film before we get a glimpse of damn near anything remotely interesting. If you’re into mundane conversations, party footage, and general paint drying, then by all means feel free to indulge, but if it’s straight-up gloom and doom you’re looking for, you’ll be a might disappointed. Mungor still does an admirable job setting the table for what will be a somewhat interesting final half-hour or so, but the journey to get there is painfully dull.
When those last 30 minutes do come upon us, the actions of Natalie’s stalker are a bit unnerving, yet still not truly able to hammer in the scares. Sure, it’s a little spooky to see some nutcase standing on your lawn late at night, but come on, how many times has this trick been yanked out of the hat?
Overall, You Are Not Alone is a solid gut punch to anticipation and an even more flopping thud of a conclusion. Sorry, but I’m gonna have to take a pass on this one, and I’m convinced that I’m not alone in my thinking on this either.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
