Director: Leigh Whanell
Writer: Leigh Whanell
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, Benedict Hardie
After finally finding the courage to leave an abusive relationship, Cecilia is shocked when her ex commits suicide leaving her his fortune. With her abuser dead, Cecilia is finally ready to reclaim her life. Just as normalcy sets in a series of strange occurrences prove her ex is still alive and tormenting her. With only her instincts to guide her, Cecilia must save herself and her loved ones from a madman no one can see.
The Invisible Man is a taut suspenseful thriller that illuminates the real-life struggle of abuse survivors. Aussie writer and director, Leigh Whanell has helmed several popular films including Insidious Chapter 3 and Upgrade (2018). As a storyteller, Whanell is adept at blurring the lines between fantasy and realism. While the threat of an invisible assailant is fanciful, the fear and self-doubt Cecilia faces are very real to survivors of abuse. For this project, Whanell uses very few special effects and is rewarded with an incredibly terrifying film. The absence of a visible assailant creates an all too real creepiness that will keep viewers looking over their shoulders long after the final credits.
Elizabeth Moss stars as the tortured Cecilia, who is haunted by her sadistic ex. Moss is best known for her role as June Osborne in Hulu’s “Handmaid’s Tale”. Her character in the series is similar to Cecilia in that both women are subjected to abuse and forced to find a way to survive. From the very first scene, Moss emits a fear that is palpable. The film begins with Cecilia enacting her carefully laid out an escape plan in the middle of the night. The tension mounts as she packs and prepares in silence. The closer she gets to freedom the louder her movements seem, increasing our anxiety. Once her narrow escape seems complete, we exhaled a sigh of relief only to have our breath taken again by the abrupt smashing of a car window. Much like Hitchcock before him, Whanell knows how to terrify using little more than the human imagination. Each interaction with the unseen threat grows in intensity as the film progresses. The first glimpse occurs as Cecilia stands out in the cold, her breath visible in the night air. As she exhales and turns, she narrowly misses a terrifying puff of air from a disembodied source. Subtle but effective, that moment left us breathless with anticipation.
As a whole, the film’s premise is a romp through familiar territory, it is Whanell’s approach that provides a new perspective. Unlike the Invisible Man movies preceding this adaptation, the villain’s motives are simple. He doesn’t want to conquer the world his desire is simply to conquer and control Cecilia. His singular focus is what compels him to go to the outlandish extreme of invisibility. While The Invisible Man is an incredibly satisfying film that may be triggering for some but enthralling to most. It is an exciting roller coaster of emotions, with an ending that will have you cheering and a bit unsettled.
The Invisible Man is in theaters this Friday, February 28, 2020!