Rogue Cinema - Silent Voyeur (2004)

Silent Voyeur (2004) - By Josh Samford
Posted on Friday, February 01 @ Mountain Standard Time by Duane

Directer Georg Koszulinski is certainly proving to be one of those independent filmmakers to keep an eye on. His documentary Cracker Country showed he was a very smart storyteller and he obviously has a lot on his mind that he has to get out there; Silent Voyeur showed me a lot more depth to his character and certainly a completely different style of filmmaker that lies within him. I would say that Silent Voyeur is a very nicely played genre thriller, but it's much more than a conventional horror and is more art-house than Last House on the Left. However, the mix of depraved horror and intelligent banter between the characters creates a strange brew that I can't help but say I enjoyed. Koszulinski has a lot to say within his film, much more than just your usual "society is dark beast and films like this only feed your blood lust.", and it may take multiple viewings to truly gather all of my thoughts on it; however I can't help but find myself going over all the little things in my mind as I write this - trying to understand each character's eventual turn.

Koszulinski and his crew show some creativity in their hyping of the film, showing some very intelligent advertising. When picking up the DVD box and reading: "In 2002, a couple vacationing in the Florida Everglades claimed they were kidnapped and forced to perform gruesome acts in front of a video camera. They brought the Monroe County authorities to an abandoned cabin where the alleged crimes had taken place, but the elaborate torture chamber they described was not there, nor any evidence of foul play." It just goes on from there, and although that certainly describes the events that quite possibly take place after this film - it does not tell you anything about the DVD you are about to watch. It's an intriguing setup as the audience knows nothing about what they are about to witness. The true story starts as a man awakes in the everglades marshes; completely nude. He wanders for miles before coming upon a cabin where he finds two men and a woman and from there on out this man must question all within this cabin about who he is, why there is a dead man on the floor and why he can't seem to remember anything.

Either synopsis for the film is going to catch your attention because quite frankly it's a brilliant setup for a thriller. The throw off on the back cover, well it may not be a complete way to ditch the audience as it claims the film is based upon real events but whether or not it is; I am completely unsure. I am leaning towards maybe it isn't true, but it very well could be to some degree - but if it isn't; it's a beautiful way to grab you attention and the fleshing out of the story works well with the events that take place during the last portion of the film. Playing like Rashomon meets 8MM, Silent Voyeur is a real treat. Although some performances aren't tuned to perfection; it is still a strong script with a dynamic setup, beautiful music (which Koszulinski performs as well) and is a film that overall looks fantastic. I highly recommend it and can't wait to find more of Mr. Koszulinski 's work. Check out Substream Films.com to find out more about this and others such as Cracker Crazy and Blood Of the Beast.