'The Cry of the Owl' has a wicked sense of humour. On the surface, it may appear as a thriller but it is more of a dark comedy with subtle humour. After all one cannot fail to see the irony in the premise: a stalker being stalked by his stalker. Of course, once the premise is introduced this oddly absurd movie, the story turns into a game of jealousy, betrayal and murder.
The execution is quite interesting. It has an old fashioned look to it. Most of the visuals are quite photographic. The slightly washed out colour give it a gloomy look reflecting the colourless lives of the characters. Most of the film is seen through Robert's point of view and the twists are surprising.
The film is philosophical too. Robert stalks Jenny because she represents the illusion of happiness. However, once Jenny invites him in, this illusion is shattered and he loses interest in her. In a later scene, he describes to his wife Nickie that the first time he saw her, she was like a beautiful statue and then she moved, and it was all downhill. He seems to be more fascinated by an illusion of perfection and is put off by the humanness of people.
Jenny, on the other hand, who is more messed up than Robert, thinks it's fate and that they should be together. She immediately dumps her boyfriend and stalks Robert but eventually she too realizes that her illusion is shattered and the more she tries to cling on the further he slips away. In a way, Nickie too tries to hold on to Robert and, in event, uses more extreme measures. Ideals and illusions are what instigates trouble in these characters' lives.
Paddy Considine is excellent as the awkward, passive, neurotic loner Robert. Julia Stiles is mostly very good as the pretty Jenny (even though there are a few sequences were she's a little off as she fails to depict Jenny's anguish and despair convincingly). Caroline Dhavernas is terrific as Jenny's more sexually aggressive counterpart. James Gilbert is irritating.
Subtle and quiet, yet dark, funny and even twisted, 'The Cry of the Owl' is a well-crafted little film.
The execution is quite interesting. It has an old fashioned look to it. Most of the visuals are quite photographic. The slightly washed out colour give it a gloomy look reflecting the colourless lives of the characters. Most of the film is seen through Robert's point of view and the twists are surprising.
The film is philosophical too. Robert stalks Jenny because she represents the illusion of happiness. However, once Jenny invites him in, this illusion is shattered and he loses interest in her. In a later scene, he describes to his wife Nickie that the first time he saw her, she was like a beautiful statue and then she moved, and it was all downhill. He seems to be more fascinated by an illusion of perfection and is put off by the humanness of people.
Jenny, on the other hand, who is more messed up than Robert, thinks it's fate and that they should be together. She immediately dumps her boyfriend and stalks Robert but eventually she too realizes that her illusion is shattered and the more she tries to cling on the further he slips away. In a way, Nickie too tries to hold on to Robert and, in event, uses more extreme measures. Ideals and illusions are what instigates trouble in these characters' lives.
Paddy Considine is excellent as the awkward, passive, neurotic loner Robert. Julia Stiles is mostly very good as the pretty Jenny (even though there are a few sequences were she's a little off as she fails to depict Jenny's anguish and despair convincingly). Caroline Dhavernas is terrific as Jenny's more sexually aggressive counterpart. James Gilbert is irritating.
Subtle and quiet, yet dark, funny and even twisted, 'The Cry of the Owl' is a well-crafted little film.