I Can See You is a film that offers questions and prods the audience to dig deeper into its meaning, while allowing room for interpretation.

Raved by the New York Times, as a film that “heralds a splendid new filmmaker with one eye on genre mechanics, one eye on avant-garde conceits and a third eye in transcendental weirdness”, I Can See You takes the audience through the extraordinary vision of a young filmmaker who reinterprets the genre of intelligent horror films.

I’ll begin by mentioning that Reznick did not only direct I Can See You, but he also wrote, co-produced, designed the sound, edited, and created many of the startling visual effects, as well co-scoring the film with talented composer, Jeff Grace. With the guidance of indie filmmaking luminary, Larry Fessenden, the producer of I Can See You (and also appears in the film), as well as a litany of support from childhood friend and director, Ti West (film, House of the Devil, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring), to the cast and crew of Waverly Films, Graham Reznick completed this tour de force in a reasonable three years.

Like most horror films, Reznick keeps the plot thick and thin all at once, emotional and mysterious.  Reznick explains his creation began”… I was starting to learn about Buddhism and meditation around the time I started writing [I Can See You] and the idea of introspection and breaking things down to the core; looking through all of the fuzz and the noise to what was deep in there. It was a huge part of the movie for me but not necessarily in an overt way. A lot of the imagery has to do with this obsession I have with esoteric imagery and occult imagery. When you see occult or Masonic imagery it has a strange, strange power. When you see an eye on top of a pyramid, you’re like, “What the fuck is that?”

The film is a significant chapter of abstract realism in the realm of film. Reznick, an NYU graduate, calls his work a “psychedelic campfire” but also quick to point out “psychedelic” as its root Latin meaning of “mind manifest”, saying, “I feel that’s what happens at the end of the film. The mind of one of the characters [Ben] was made mind manifest on screen.” He describes his film “…about 3 guys of an upstart ad agency who go into the woods to brand a product that has questionable ethical practices.”

Reznick’s film is a different kind of art that has moved into a new phase of relatively unfamiliar territory.  The film is collaborative in its creativity from the paintings used in the background, gorgeous shots, and eerie soundtrack. The filmmaker connects the scenes with shots of buildings, bugs, and trees branches blowing in the wind, stationary objects against vast landscapes; each scene tied together with beautifully detailed shots, giving the illusion of flipping through a series of photographs, the lighting impeccable, each picture more breathtaking and beautiful than the last. But make no mistake, these shots are not beautiful distractions, including the finely directed sex scene, which was so hot in its climax but also isn’t gratuitous. In fact, it’s a tender and elegant touch of  directing and lighting that complement a fight sequence that occurs later on, drawing together both scenes as bookends for dramatic changes in the story and emphasizing the poetic nature of this filmmaker’s vision.

The cinematography and direction is emotional, connecting with the characters’ evocations as they develop in this abstract realist horror film. You neither love nor hate any of the characters; you understand their actions because he puts you in their insecurities and emotional investments, as well as supplying a well-paced tone, increasing intensity when most appropriate. There’s a scene, in the film, in which the lead character takes off his glasses and attempts a conversation with a girl he has affection for. His lack of actual focus leads to an awkward conversation. Due to camera trickery, you see the girl as an unfocused blob through the eyes of the main character (Ben), and you can’t help but feel empathy toward his character.  I wanted to jump through the screen and give him back his glasses to save him from embarrassment.  In this film particularly you’re along for that ride and simultaneously, you can’t stop thinking and questioning if things are as they really appear to be.

The last fifteen minutes are a climactic, psychologically and viscerally horrific amalgamation of sequences that will keep your last bubble of breath lodged in your trachea.

We will keep you posted on all of Graham Reznick’s future screenings and projects. Updates for the release of I Can See You can be found on its official website.