A strange mash up of found footage and heavy metal documentary, Who’s Watching (playing at The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival) is a scathing look at the kind of men who think the reason women don’t like them is because there is something inherently wrong with women.
Caleb lives with his grandmother, works for his uncle and has a strange past with his parents. This all leaves him being that loner metal head that seems benign until he takes a bit too much of an interest in the new girl at work. Making a documentary about his metal band, Caleb is always filming and this allows for some amusing and inventive looks into his life. Zachary Ray Sherman is magnetic as Caleb: he may be a sketchy creeper, but it’s impossible to take your eyes off of him and his stupid fucking haircut. Inexplicably, the other members of Caleb’s band, Toxic Cock Syndrome, are all delightfully quirky and watching them make their music video almost allows you to forget Caleb’s main focus: Krista.
Krista (Gracie Gillan) is the new girl at work and Caleb is immediately taken with her. He begins stalking her, videotaping her through her windows and then escalates to installing cameras in her home and even following her on a camping trip. Caleb is a certified creeper who thinks he’s got it all figured out, but what if he’s not the only one with a camera who is recording everything?
While the entire cast is likable, Olivia Luccardi is a standout as Tawnia. (If you haven’t seen her work in Soft and Quiet, you are missing out on the scariest film character of 2022.) Tawnia is a friend of Toxic Cock Syndrome and she’s helping Caleb with parts of the music video. As Caleb’s obsession takes a left into true crime territory, he will be confronted with someone who simply isn’t here for his trifling incel bullshit and it’s a hoot to watch all of this play out via Caleb’s camera and someone else’s. Who’s Watching is a bit like if Spinal Tap did an after school movie about how not to treat the girl you like and this is meant as a huge compliment. This is punk rock filmmaking at it’s most joyful.
Lisa Fremont
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