See for Me is a home invasion narrative, but one with minimal bloodshed compared to say, Funny Games or The Strangers. Its premise and no doubt its blind protagonist will draw some comparisons to Hush, but the film has so many unique turns that separate it from similar films. At its highest points, the film is a masterclass in edge-of-your-seat suspense and creative filmmaking.

Skyler Davenport stars as Sophie, a young skier, who, at one time, was Olympic bound. Blindness squashed Sophie’s dreams, and her isolation is underscored by the film’s wintery setting. Her ambitions dashed, Sophie takes on odd jobs, including cat sitting at a mansion in rural upstate New York. The aerial shots of the barren trees and snowy landscapes make the mansion feel that much more isolated, a metaphor perhaps for Sophie’s feelings once she can no longer ski.

About 20 minutes in, the mansion is besieged by three invaders who want millions locked away in a safe. Sophie’s in their path. However, in a real twist, she decides she won’t rat them out if they give her a cut. This is the first clue that the film isn’t going where you think it’s going. Just when you think you have it figured out, it takes another clever turn. Immediately, Sophie refuses to be some damsel in distress.  Kudos to writers Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue for such a clever script, handled well by director Randall Okia. This film doesn’t traffic in cliches.

Eventually, Sophie befriends Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy), an administrator for an app that assists Sophie. The app essentially allows Kelly to see Sophie’s surroundings via her phone. When things go south, and they do rather quickly, Kelly helps Sophie survive by using the app to act as her eyes. The shots from Kelly’s perspective, when she views the mansion, look like a video game. Typically, these types of first-person shooter shots bug me, but they’re used so well and so sparingly in See for Me that I don’t mind them. They work.

This is very much Sophie’s movie, and Davenport gives a solid performance. She plays a strong-willed protagonist whose disability doesn’t thwart her will to survive at any cost, or even her dreams to ski again one day. However, the rest of the characters are a bit too flat. The three baddies never feel all that menacing, and even their boss, who eventually shows up, makes for a cool villain but is too underutilized. Further, Kelly hints at her time in Iraq and something she may have done while in the military, but that subplot is just dropped. More character development would have made this a near-perfect film.

See for Me’s tension and fast pace make for a gripping 90 minutes. This movie leaps into high gear fast, and a few minutes feel wasted. This is not a home invasion movie where brutality is paramount. In fact, there’s hardly any blood, and yet, so many elements of the film, including its lighting, sound design, setting, and narrative turns make for an engaging thrill ride. Most of all, it’s Davenport’s performance as Sophie that gives this film weight.

7.5 Out of 10