Stalker leben gefährlich

One of the other contributors hit the nail on the head when they said the title of the movie was wrong. In fact it was in fact Jodi who was the stalker, photographing the neighbors without their knowledge like a peeping tom, and following them and breaking into their homes.

The story line per usual was ridiculous. Jodi had massive trauma only three months earlier when she was raped at home. And yet here she is drooling over a neighbor boy taking pictures of him even after he catches her doing it. I do not want to assume anything about rape victims in real life nor do I wish to disrespect them, but to me it seemed far-fetched that someone like Jodi who at such a young fragile age goes through such a horrific experience and apart from a few scenes where she is on edge and jumpy, for the rest of the movie she acts so normal and even gets romantically drawn to the neighbor boy whom she has only known for three weeks.

And the lecture Nick gives Jodi's mom was just pathetic. The movie tried to copy Hitchcock's Rear Window and the newer Shia Labeouf movie Disturbia, both of which were in the league of their own.

I've seen a good deal of Lifetime movies and without question, Stalked by My Neighbor is one of the most well crafted, especially in terms of how the trials of Neighbors are explored. The movie leans on the usual Lifetime melodrama, but also invests time to develop Jodi Allen as a believable, grounded character. This includes a masterful early montage that establishes the repetition, tedium, and denied relief she experiences. This is potent, realistic content that deserves more eyes, though of course, the movie soon pivots into a thriller. Even then, Jodi's mental health and vulnerable state are factors in how the thriller elements unfold, so while there's the melodrama, this is very well written and executed. The shifts between grounded and melodrama might seem like they'd be jarring, but that isn't the case and Stalked by My Neighbor isn't a wild, over the top ride like some Lifetime movies, more of a grounded thriller that dials things up when needed. Still a good amount of drama and a fun thriller, but it does a lot more than just provide a simple whodunit, so the movie deserves some solid credit. If you have even a minor interest in Lifetime cinema or just want to see a skilled take on the tribulations of Neighbors, give Stalked by My Neighbor a look.

Alone in her West Hollywood condo, pretty blonde teenager Kelcie Stranahan (as Jodi Allen) is attacked and raped by an intruder while talking to her mom on laptop video. Three months later, single mom Amy Pietz (as Andrea Allen) has moved her daughter to a presumably safer suburb near the Angeles Crest Mountains. Still skittish, Ms. Stranahan occupies herself taking photographs of the neighbors. With her zoom-lens, she specializes taking pictures of handsome young men in the neighborhood. Stranahan is a real "Peeping Tom" (or, more appropriately, a "Peeping Tina"). An obvious favorite is muscular young Grant Harvey (as Nick Thompkin). Stranahan happily catches him washing his truck while wearing only a baggy pair of sweat-shorts...

This ends up being an ordinary and very predictable "Lifetime" TV movie thriller, but you have to give writer-director Doug Campbell credit for so obviously portraying heroine Stranahan with what some might consider a character flaw; apparently, she takes "half naked" photos of young men for her own personal enjoyment. She also takes pictures of her neighbors' windows at night. Soon, she thinks she has witnessed a deadly crime. This updates what many correctly saw as perverse subtext in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954). But, back to this story. The camera angles are nicely done, especially when Stranahan checks another neighbor's house for an intruder while wearing her own little shorts. "Lifetime" knows its PG audience.

***** Stalked by My Neighbor (2015-03-21) Doug Campbell ~ Kelcie Stranahan, Grant Harvey, Amy Pietz, Katrina Norman

The title isn't quite accurate. Not a stalking movie at all. The story is about a teen girl who is raped in the city moves to the burbs with her mom. She is still a little paranoid and starts taking pictures of her neighbors. There is a murder of her neighbor and then she proceeds to uncover things. Things move quite quickly as her suspicions about the murderer change.

Worth one watch.

Plot briefly - daughter Jody is cruelly raped in city apartment, after which loving Mom moves them to supposed safety of upscale suburbia. But is it. We'll see.

What interested me was youthful Jodi's traumatized mental state after being raped by a stranger. Actress Stranahan does a good job in this early part expressing mental imbalance without going over the top. For example, her fascination with sneaky photography of neighbors could be traceable to that trauma, or her accusing boy Nick of the later murder crime without evidence could also be a result.

Too bad the screenplay soon returns her to normality through turn-around puppy love with neighbor Nick. Then too, suspense is undercut by a too-early reveal of the killer that removes the fun of a guessing game. Without these give-aways, we might even suspect Jodi as the killer, imbalanced as she initially is. That unknown would have considerably raised the movie's suspense level to a fascinating degree. Instead, the screenplay opts for a more conventional type suspense rather than exploring the rich potential of Jodi's lingering trauma.

Nonetheless, the flick has several notable touches - the real suburban neighborhood with its upscale homes; the unusual all-girl showdown, poorly done though it is; and good crisp eye-catching photography.

All in all, the suspenser strikes me as average at best, with a squandered potential at worst. Anyway, despite the downside, it's probably worth a quick look-see.