Pippa and Thomas move into their dream apartment but notice that their windows look directly into the apartment opposite, this will set in motion a chain of events that will lead to disaster.
Michael Mohan’s “The Voyeurs” is an erotic thriller that ventures down a rabbit hole of curiosity, snooping, and meddlesomeness-turned-obsession. A young couple, Pippa and Thomas (Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith) moving into their first apartment find their “windows to the world” are actually windows into the lives of a photographer, Seb (Ben Hardy), and his wife Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), in the apartment across the way. This theme of scopophilia, or voyeurism, is a fairly familiar one in film, from “Rear Window” to “Disturbia,” and “The Girl on the Train” to “The Woman in the Window.” In these stories, the plotline revolves, in one way or another, around what begins as innocent observation of another person, or persons, that piques curiosity and leads the “snoop” sliding down a slippery slope towards unforeseen revelations with often dire consequences.
Director Michael Mohan has assembled a talented young cast for this thriller that begins innocently enough as the young lovers, engagingly played by Sweeney and Smith, discover that the couple in the apartment across from theirs, Seb and Julia, are quite visible as they go about their day, including their uninhibited lovemaking. As our “innocents” become aware of this, their interest is understandably piqued and slowly develops into an activity so regular they bring out their binoculars and later on, even acquire, surreptitiously, audio access to the neighbor’s apartment. All somewhat innocent, but, unlike his partner, Thomas rather quickly bores of the snooping and becomes angry that it is interfering with his relationship with Pippa. On the other side, Pippa becomes hooked and, later, obsessed by the intense sexuality and thrill of peeping into another life. As her obsession deepens, so does the activity opposite become more intriguing and draws Pippa more and more into their lives.
The storyline for “The Voyeurs” is quite compelling and almost draws one in, even though you are aware of how this probably is going to play out. That is where Mohan’s shocking climax took my breath away and turned everything on its ear. This ensemble of actors engages, entices, and endows the characters with life and believability. They involve you in their dilemmas and difficulties as obsession overwhelms affection and links with eroticism for an explosive resolution. This film delivers on its promise. It is erotic and sensual and a thriller. As I sit at my computer in my office, my binoculars are on the windowsill at my side. Thank God there’s nothing to look at outside but birds!
Available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Friday, September 10th
