Surveillance

How have I not heard of this movie before? Absolutely fantastic. It's difficult to review a movie by Jennifer Lynch without comparing it to the work of her father. 'Surveillance' possesses the Lynchian small town banality, stilted dialogue, awkward character dynamics, brutal violence, truly twisted killers, and generally off-kilter weirdness that you'd expect. But despite the stylistic similarities, the two are very different filmmakers. 'Surveillance' has a far more traditional structure with a familiar art-house/indie conceit of multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators. The central mystery is expertly revealed through the eyewitness accounts of several individuals, slowly building the sense of dread to a knock-out last act revelation that doesn't disappoint. One of the best thrillers in recent years and deserving of a much larger audience. More than enough evidence that Jennifer Lynch is a talent in her own right.

One thing is for sure, "Surveillance" is different. Different in structure, different in presentation. It is re-watchable, if for no other reason than to see if the script holds up to analysis. Generally I tend to avoid films with a lot of flashbacks, but in this case, the three points of view presented are intriguing. Acting and character development are acceptable. The film has strong violence and some perverted sexual situations, but hey, this is not supposed to be family entertainment. It is what it is, and what it is, is different. I found it to be entertaining because the unique presentation held interest. Give "Surveillence" a try if you are looking for something beyond the obvious. - MERK

Working her way into the business under the shadow of her internationally renowned father, Jennifer Lynch exists as a figure in the industry that will be sure to catch the eyes of film enthusiasts for years to come if only to witness how she establishes herself as a single entity outside of her father's influence. Surveillance, which sees the director return to film after a fifteen year hiatus following the lackluster Boxing Helena, despite its reigns being pulled this way and that by father and producer David, nevertheless does create an interesting vision here that is both expected and yet somewhat refreshing. In the midst of the countless numbers of drudgery that fills in the genre's hotspots year after year, Lynch manages to stick to her father's mantra of keeping things basic, and at the same time daring and bold. However, diverging heavily from the surreal abstractions associated with Mr. Lynch's features, Jennifer creates something that combines originality with tradition in a successful dish that isn't perfect by any means, but nevertheless succeeds in providing ample thrills and suspense.

Surveillance is essentially the story of four groups of people; there are the two serial killers on the loose involved in a series of murders within the past months; there are the local-area cops involved in one of the crimes directly; then there's the FBI agents sent to investigate and go over the head of said officers; and finally there's the surviving civilians of the killers' most recent venture. Taking place over the course of perhaps a few hours of interrogation spliced with flashbacks relating back to the day of the last known murders, the script mixes subtle plotting and slow moving developments with a high caliber of character work and atmospherics to keep things moving. This shift from heavy-handed mystery-solving to a healthy balance between character dynamics and dialogue allows the movie to broaden its horizons and escape the usual middling indifference a cold-blooded thriller usually indulges within. Indeed, perhaps the most compelling side of Surveillance doesn't necessarily reside within its plot (although, things to pick up steadily from act three onwards), but through the characters and performances by their respective thespians.

Retrospectively, Jennifer Lynch's directing takes many leafs from her father's style, the least of which certainly not being her use of eccentric characters, dialogue and establishment of surreal tone. Indeed throughout the course of Surveillance, one is likely to find themselves not only disturbed by the visual brutalities (which are few, but nevertheless potent), but the more visceral elements spliced through the film through shades of atmospheric manipulations. Sure enough, this certainly isn't Mulholland Drive or Eraserhead by any means; rather, Lynch does well to avoid becoming a mere parody of her father, and establishes a familiarly tense tone without overstepping the boundary into pure abstraction. Through this, Surveillance instead strikes chord not dissimilar from such features as Natural Born Killers, and House of 1000 Corpses in its deconstruction of authority, twisting of the natural order and unsettling the settled, cozy tinsel lenses of Hollywood horror.

The performances, although not quite as compelling as Lynch's overall direction, nevertheless do well to echo the themes of script with a similar sense of disjointedness from reality. For the sake of preserving first time viewers from any major plot developments past the half way mark, I cannot go into stark detail involving any said performer's styles, but can at least attest to the fact that most of the central cast do a very good job of portraying their characters with enough uncertainty to keep the viewer guessing. Throughout, you are left wondering "who done it", yes, but the end result isn't as obvious as most hackneyed thrillers and will certainly catch audiences off guard if they're not careful. The performances, alongside Lynch's subversive, purposely withholding script make sure to establish this mystery, keep it interesting (for the most part) and then unravel it to the enlightenment of those unprepared.

There are problems however, most of which reside within the movie's middle act that dwindles along for a good half hour involving neither sufficient plotting nor characterisation to the extent that is displayed earlier on. Furthermore, the experience as a whole, although fulfilling a promise to deliver suspense and extreme tension during its greater scenes, nevertheless boils down to one of temporal satisfaction. For what it's worth, Surveillance provides a fine look at how the thriller can be done well with plenty of viscerally and cerebrally engaging sequences and cascading shades of disturbing nightmare-quality insanity, but it nevertheless can't quite escape the tedium that is often associated with the genre. Definitely worthy of a look-in for fans of either the thriller or David Lynch himself, but for everyone else, this will probably be a temporarily engaging affair quickly forgotten soon after the credits roll.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)

The FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) come to a police station in the middle of the desert to interview the three survivors of a massacre of a serial-killer that they are hunting. The girl Stephanie (Ryan Simpkins); the junkie Bobbi Prescott (Pell James) and the abusive patrol officer Jack Bennett (Kent Harper) are placed in separate rooms and their hearings are recorded through cameras under the surveillance of Agent Sam. Each one tells part of the gore event; when three bodies are found in a motel, the solution of the case seems to be near to be resolved.

"Surveillance" is a weird thriller that uses the idea of "Rashomon", with three persons telling different views of a tragic event. I personally disclosed the plot point based on the weird behavior of Sam Hallaway, but anyway the surprising twist gives a totally different sequence to the result of the investigation. After the uncomfortable "Boxing Helena", Jennifer Lynch returns with another sick and violent story and bizarre characters. I liked this movie but it is recommended for very specific audiences. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sob Controle" ("Under Control")

Jennifer Chambers Lynch, one would assume had been nursing her pride from the dreadful reception of her debut, Boxing Helena. Fifteen years later she releases Surveillance. This one, a murder mystery, is a major improvement but it still has problems. It is a well-crafted seventy minute movie with a remaining twenty minutes of clumsiness, bad writing and a twist which unfortunately is predictable. The movie comes apart when it needs to come together, and the result is medium good, when it could have been very good.

FBI agents Anderson and Halloway for months have been investigating a series of interstate serial killings. The latest chapter in their investigation brings the stories of two odd-ball cops, a dis-communal family on a road trip, and a couple of coke-snorting kids, together in Rashomon fashion.

I like the way Surveillance plays out. Lynch keeps everything slow and mannered, unlike Boxing Helena which is over-blown from the beginning. Lynch is able to keep the film under control, but unfortunately is unable to pull the wool over the viewer's eyes. The answers we are looking for become obvious too quickly, making one question whether her intention was to have the viewer fooled or not. Survaillance is not designed to be conventional thriller. It is too deep and psychological for that, but it sort of ends like one.

If I was gonna label Surveillance in a word, it would be 'bitter'. When it's over, you come to realize that none of the characters (save one or two small roles) are all that respectable. Lynch's screenplay breaks them down into those who mistreat and those who get mistreated, sometimes both. On a positive note it contributes significantly to the drama or tension of the picture. There is a major lack of heart to the film, although at the same time, there is a certain lack of credibility as a side effect. Any attempt to explain may be a spoiler so I wont go that far, but that raises another question...

If I don't intend to spoil it, does that mean I am recommending it? Well, truth be told, I didn't dislike Surveillance. It is eerie and grim, which is certain a plus for a thriller, but the outcome is kind of disappointing. My advice: watch it only if you are curious, but it is not a movie that needs to be seen.