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My Little Eye film review
MY LITTLE EYE
Running time: 95mins
Starring: Jennifer Sky, Stephen O'Reilly, Laura Regan, Sean CW Johnson, Kris Lemche
With reality television shows still clogging the terrestrial and cable schedules never has it been so easy to court fame and fortune simply by sacrificing your privacy.
My Little Eye takes small screen voyeurism to its dark and unsettling conclusion, reminding us that we have no one to blame but ourselves for this phenomenon. By switching on and watching, we are all accomplices.
Charlie (Jennifer Sky), Danny (Stephen O'Reilly), Emma (Laura Regan), Matt (Sean CW Johnson) and Rex (Kris Lemche) are five strangers who agree to take part in a unique social experiment, living together for six months in a remote house, their every movement broadcast over the internet via CCTV cameras positioned in the rooms and corridors.
The rules of the game, called My Little Eye, are incredibly and deceptively simple. If all five make it to the end of the six months, they share a handsome $1 million prize fund, but if someone leaves, they all walk away with nothing.
Initial harmony and good will within the group is quickly tested by freezing weather conditions and meagre food supplies. Bitching and sexual tension soon have the household in their grasp.
The organisers of the experiment raise the stakes with sick tricks to play with the participants' minds, including leaving a bloodied hammer in Emma's bed, and cutting off food supplies. Paranoia and distrust sweeps through the house like wildfire, but Rex tries to keep everyone calm and focused, dispelling the growing sense of unease by noting "They're playing games with us".
The so-called games take an unexpected twist when Danny is told that his beloved grandfather has died, and he should return home immediately for the funeral. Is the devastating news genuine, or a cunning trick to lure one of the group out of the house? As Danny wrestles with his grief, the remaining four housemates are compelled to ask themselves how far they will go to cling onto their share of the prize money. Murder perhaps?
My Little Eye is a deliciously unsettling thriller, with an intense atmosphere recalling The Blair Witch Project. Director Marc Evans shoots all of the action using the wall-mounted cameras, which adds to the suspense by sometimes obscuring events, which are taking place just out of shot. Sound effects become increasingly important, especially during the night vision sequences when you find yourself straining to see movement in the shadows, only for the fluorescent whites of someone's eyes to suddenly emerge from the darkness.
Initially, the characters fit neatly into their boxes: Charlie the brazen slut, Emma the quiet bookworm, Rex the smart aleck, Matt the handsome football jock and Danny the generous nice guy. As the experiment progresses, and the stress of the situation takes its toll, personalities change dramatically, and we get to see the darker sides of the housemates as their masks of civility slip.
Performances are excellent and feel extremely natural - you really can see the terror in the characters' eyes as pent-up frustrations explode with devastating consequences. The denouement is a little predictable, and almost feels like a let down, but does conceal a nasty, bloodthirsty twist or two.
Life in the Big Brother house will never seem the same again.
