Eye Contact Was Nothing More Than a Jolt to the Senses. While You Might Have Been Shocked

Eye Contact was nothing more than a jolt to the senses. While you might have been shocked at certain parts, the fear was never constantly alive because of the unrealistic aspects. There didn’t seem to be any real reason to be afraid; while we did know that something was chasing the jogger, the figure was so mysterious that we couldn’t even understand what it was. The action occurs as the jogger is on a run up to a lighthouse and sees a mysterious figure, who then continues to follower her back down a trail and into her house, where the film ends. I think the film demands an extreme sense of imagination to believe that this mysterious figure will actually harm the jogger. I think that the film was made to help us understand an irrational fear of being followed and being watched.

The short film starts with imagery, that isn’t particularly scary but certainly does create a desolate scene that is rather creepy. The ‘creepy’ aspect is enhanced by the soundtrack, heavy piano chords played in a looming manner. As the film moves on, the shadow appears; a very computer generated looking figure that starts following the jogger. From there we see Irony, as the jogger is running away from the shadow and then stops for a breath and we see it right behind her. While I wouldn’t say that I was terrified or genuinely afraid, I believe that all of these tools created a real sense of suspense. The film starts with cut-in shots, and then switches to slanted, low-angle, wide shots of the jogger on. The shots will often be taken from the woods on the sides of the trail that the jogger is on, to give us the sense that she is being watched. We have a few more shots like this, but throughout the rest of the film it is mostly eye level filming with a few close-ups and hand held shots. There was some very effective suspense in the film, and the literary suspense and film techniques really helped create this suspense.

Overall, the film certainly did evoke suspense, but not a real genuine fear. I felt that there was no real reason to even be afraid; she was obviously being watched and followed and while that is a real concern for some people, the fear didn’t seem real enough to me. I think that besides the CGF, the film was well down, but I personally could not relate to the circumstance of the film. When watching the film you have to understand that its main agenda is not to leave you with any real fear, simply watch it if you are interested in suspense and jolts of shock.