PremiumThe Voyeurs review: Sydney Sweeney’s erotic thriller is steamy, but not gritty enough
A young couple move in together and find out that they have front row seats from their apartment to peep into the one across the street. What starts as a harmless fun activity becomes an obsession with tragic consequences.
Last Updated: 08.08 PM, Sep 16, 2021
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Justice Smith, Ben Hardy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo
Writer: Michael Mohan
Story: Pippa (Sweeney) and Thomas (Smith) move in together in an apartment from where they discover they have a direct view into the home of fashion photographer Sebastian (Hardy) and Julia (Bordizzo). Madly in love but unhappy in her relationship with Sebastian, who is a serial womanizer too, Julia finds solace in Pippa’s company. Is there more at play than what meets the eye?
Review: About 30-minutes into director Michael Mohan’s The Voyeurs, I was all set to dismiss it as soft-porn. This in a film that starts off like a romantic drama with a loved-up couple, Thomas (Smith) and Pippa (Sweeney) moving in together in an apartment in Montreal. She is an optometrist and he a musician and even before they are done setting up home, what strikes you about their new home are the large windows, from where they discover they can see into the home of their neighbours across the street. If fashion photographer Sebastian (Hardy) isn’t fornicating with his partner, former model Julia (Bordizzo), in her absence, he gets it on with every model he photographs at the studio in their home. His supposed cheating ways, lead Pippa’s initial playful inquisitiveness to rapidly become a full-fledged obsession to not only see what’s happening, but also hear them; eventually even driving her to set in motion a series of events with disastrous consequences.
The Voyeurs has enough erotic content, most notably, a sex scene between Sweeney and Hardy, which should ensure it is streamed by its intended target audience. Justice and Sweeney have an adorably goofy chemistry too, but this is a film that is not going to be remembered for its unexpected twists and slightly bizarre ending or, for that matter, the subtext about peeping Toms and invasion of privacy.
Verdict: The Voyeurs is not soft-porn, it is an erotic thriller with some unexpected twists that make for an interesting viewing. If you are not squeamish about nudity and onscreen sex, check this one out.