Open Windows (2014)
Gareth Jones
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Starring Sasha Grey, Elijah Wood, Neil Maskell
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Nick Chambers (Wood) is the nerdy webmaster of a fan site dedicated to screen starlet Jill Goddard (Grey), who finds himself perched in a hotel room awaiting the end of the actress’ current Fantastic Fest panel appearance so that he can join her for a luxury dinner – a prize that he has won via entering a competition for super-fans.
While watching the panel online, Nick receives a call from a man named Chord (Maskell), who informs him that Goddard has cancelled the date, and thus Nick’s dreams of meeting his idol are dashed. As recompense for this, Chord delivers to Nick’s laptop screen various applications that are hooked into every facet of Jill’s life: cameras on her desk, in her home, and instant access to all past and present activity on her mobile phone.
Things turn dangerous very quickly, as Chord begins to stalk the actress personally, threatening violence if Nick does not become actively complicit in his plans; and thus begins a race against time as Nick sets out to release Jill from the clutches of the leather-clad madman before it’s too late.
Nacho Vigalondo’s Open Windows is a crazy, yet superbly confident techno-thriller that invites you to just sit back and enjoy the ride. The style is the most striking component – it all takes place almost entirely on a laptop screen, Vigalondo’s camera constantly shifting from corner to corner, window to window, in order to keep up with the various changing applications. One moment, we’re watching a webcam feed; the next, shifted to a vocal application as the mysterious Chord waxes lyrical before sliding once more to Goddard’s mobile telephone conversation. It’s wildly energetic, and when Nick himself hits the road with the assistance of another group of hackers, Open Windows launches into a series of high-octane thrills that rarely let up.
It’s a good thing that Vigalondo keeps up the energy, though, as any techies amongst the audience are likely to begin getting antsy very quickly regarding the overblown displays of technology that tend to go far beyond the limits of anything approaching realistic. A bag full of cameras that all act together to create a 7D image transmitted straight to Nick’s laptop, for example, is cool but wholly unbelievable, though it’s much to the film’s credit that it doesn’t grate all that much – it’s easy to just run with it and enjoy the spectacle.
Beyond the unique visual take (similarly employed for horror purposes in Zachary Donohue’s The Den) Open Windows pleases with believable central characters and the usual top-drawer performance from Elijah Wood. Neil Maskell capably delivers the film’s threat element through his voice alone, while Sasha Grey does scared very well even if she isn’t wholly convincing in calmer scenes. As the finale approaches, the story comes dangerously close to pulling its entire ludicrous spectacle in on itself, but a late-game twist hits with enough surprise impact to keep it all standing.
Open Windows is big, dumb fun that is much, much better than it truly has any right to be. In the hands of a less capable director, it would have, without doubt, been a total mess; but Vigalondo and co. step up to the plate with an irresistible confidence and somehow manage to pull it off. Just when you think it’s all becoming a bit too much, something will drag you right back in again as the thrills and spills pile up, leaving a film that is as preposterous as it is suspenseful and entertaining. An offbeat thriller with its finger placed firmly on a racing modern pulse, Open Windows is an easy recommendation for a plain ol’ popcorn-fueled good time at the movies.
4 out of 5
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