Review
Looking Glass (Drama, Thriller) (2018)
Director: Tim Hunter
Writers: Jerry Rapp, Matthew Wilder
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Robin Tunney, Marc Blucas, Kassia Conway
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When Ray (Nicolas Cage) and his wife Maggie (Robin Tunney) buy a rundown motel in some strange town, their goal was to restart their life together after a tragic accident in their past. However, as Ray inspects the motel, it’s clear this might not be just what they needed. Instead, his life spirals down the drain as he discovers a peculiar, hidden crawlspace with several two-way mirrors placed inside every one of the motel’s rooms. Ray’s curiosity gets the better of him as he starts watching his strange customers, and his wife grows suspicious and unsure as to where Ray goes all the time.
As Ray’s much-needed getaway from his old life turns into a haunting spiral. The plot serves as a showcase of the degradation of a human being, as our main characters start out as a seemingly loving couple that the audience can connect to, due to good character development in the first twenty minutes it all slowly winds down to a hurtful relationship. Over time Cage and Tunney’s characters start discovering more about the town, it’s inhabitants and the history behind it; leading Cage’s character Ray into paranoia. It’s pleasing to see Nicholas Cage perform as he does in this movie; his performance only improved upon by the supporting character of Robin Tunney.
Overall, the plot does a decent enough job of creating a story which is intriguing enough to keep you engaged. One of the reasons that make the movie decent and enjoyable from my perspective is the small focus, as almost everything is shot in a single location not branching away to too many different spots. The same is true for the character’s as there are only about four to five, not counting the main characters. Mostly everything is sufficiently explained with certain details seemingly forgotten which does feel like an oversight by the creators of the film. It feels like these small factors could easily be improved by changing or cutting them from the movie altogether, sadly this harms the film and people’s opinions on it.
Somewhat of an imagination could help with enjoying Looking Glass. It may appear somewhat lacking, but once you can look past the minor imperfection’s, it’s a joy to watch the performances of the main protagonists.
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Verdict
Refreshing for a film starring Nicholas Cage with the general uncomfortableness of a peep show.
6,3
