IFC kicks off 2022 with See For Me, director Randall Okita’s home invasion thriller that centers on a determined and independent blind young woman named Sophie (Skyler Davenport). Sophie makes extra cash by house and petting setting. Her latest gig takes her to a beautiful remote home. As she gets comfortable, she’s unaware that she will soon face three professional thieves (Pascal Langdale, Joe Pingue, George Tchortov) out for a big score.
Sophie is guided through the house by a “See For Me” app that connects visually impaired users with people who can aid in all types of tasks including navigating and reading. In the film, Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy) serves as Sophie’s guide who becomes a key character, helping Sophie hide and defend herself.
If you think Sophie would be a harmless pushover, simply because she can’t see, you would be sorely mistaken. She is tough, but she’s also realistic. There’s no superhero-style fighting or unrealistic events. This character is just your normal woman, and for that I’m thankful. We don’t get enough characters like this in the genre these days. She’s also not stupid or overly sexualized. Besides the fact that she’s blind, there is nothing special about her, she’s human and I think it’s fantastic. To Skyler Davenport, I say “bravo!” She portrayed her character in a realistic and simple way that makes Sophie easy to connect with and empathy with. I have long grown tired of seeing women trip and fall, be used as window dressing, and be exploited. See For Me gives us a female lead that we can respect and identify with as well as cheer for.
While I would have loved to have seen more of Kim Coates (I’ve been a fan since “Sons of Anarchy”) his appearance carries weight and as always, he nails it. He’s such a strong actor and he really stands out in bad guy roles like in this film.
There’s something else about See For Me that really pleased me, there are a lot of scenes in the dark, but it’s never too dark to see what’s going on. That’s a problem we see way too often.
See For Me is exciting, tense, and has more twists than a rollercoaster. Just when you think you know how it’s going to end, bam, the movie is off in a new direction. The way it all unfolds is surprising and will have you on the edge of your seat and the action never stops. As you’ve probably figured out by now, I really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend See For Me to all our readers. See For Me opens in theaters and on VOD and on Digital on January 7, 2022.
The app Sophia uses in the film is based on real apps such as “Be My Eyes” which pairs visually impaired people with volunteers. If you want to know more or volunteer you can learn more here.
