by Rich Cross
Not to be confused with the 2018 ‘stalker’ TV movie of the same name, director Erik Bernard’s new domestic thriller focuses on the highly topical themes of artificial intelligence, mental health resilience and hi-tech home security. But if writers Elisa Manzini and Sara Sometti Michaels deserve credit for taking inspiration from contemporary social concerns, it’s disappointing to see them produce a story that feels anything but groundbreaking.
In the aftermath of the murder of her sister, artist Julie and husband Marcus move into an isolated rural homestead equipped with the latest in AI and surveillance technology. When Marcus is called away on urgent business, a mentally fragile Julie is left alone with only the disembodied digital assistant Hera for company. Managing her anxiety with prescription medication (and contra-indicated booze), Julie finds the isolation and the behaviour of visiting tradesmen unsettling. Remote reassurance from Marcus and others does nothing to calm Julie’s growing distress, as she becomes convinced that someone else is in the house.
Fans of the post-apocalyptic space drama The 100 may be attracted to I’ll Be Watching by the presence of real-life husband and wife Eliza Taylor (Julie) and Bob Morley (Marcus). Most screen time is spent with Taylor, rattling around her home alone and only conversing with others online and on her phone. It’s all quite pedestrian, with only the final, inevitable home invasion conjuring up any sense of peril. Given its importance to the plot, it jars that the ‘character’ of the AI Hera is so little explored. And like any new film that tries to imagine the near future of artificial intelligence, this feels immediately outdated by the game-changing emergence of ChatGPT.
I’LL BE WATCHING is available now on streaming platforms in the US.
