Scream queen Maika Monroe stars in Chloe Okuno’s 2022 thriller, which hit Netflix this month.
IFC Midnight / courtesy Everett Collection
Warning: This article contains spoilers forWatcher.
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you’re wrong.
Maika Monroe as Julia in ‘The Watcher’.Credit:IFC Midnight / courtesy Everett Collection
(Try not to confuse it withthe Netflix series of the same name.)
Read on as we unpackWatcher’s ending and what it says about paranoia and gender dynamics.
What isWatcherabout?
Maika Monroe and Karl Glusman in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight / courtesy Everett Collection
Though it’s beautiful in Romania, Julia nevertheless feels alienated.
She doesn’t speak the language, and is often alone as Francis works.
Furthermore, she begins to feel as if she’s being followed.
Maika Monroe and Burn Gorman in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
This is unnerving, especially after reports begin circulating of a serial killer targeting women her age.
They call him the Spider, and rumors swirl that he sometimes decapitates the women he kills.
Is the watcher across the way responsible?
Burn Gorman in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
Or is Julia, as the men in her life keep telling her, just being paranoid?
What happens at the end ofWatcher?
The incident is chalked up to a misunderstanding.
Maika Monroe in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
“I wondered if you were trying to embarrass me.
Or if you were trying to scare me.”
He demands an apology.
Mădălina Anea as Irina in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
Julia gives him one, but she’s also growing uncomfortable with the bag he’s carrying.
(The object inside looks to be shaped like a human head.)
Back at her apartment, she hears music from Irina’s place next door.
Karl Glusman as Francis in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
Thinking her friend may have returned, she goes next door only to discover Irina’s headless body.
Daniel then appears and suffocates Julia with a plastic bag.
Daniel reveals that he was hiding in the apartment with Irina when Julia and the landlady searched the place.
Burn Gorman in ‘The Watcher’.IFC Midnight
After hearing Francis call Julia’s name next door, Daniel cuts her throat.
In the hallway, he sees Francis.
Before Francis can do anything, a gunshot rings out.
Daniel is shot multiple times by Julia, who faked her death.
Who is the watcher inWatcher?
The simple answer is that Daniel, who also turns out to be the Spider, is the watcher.
Even Daniel finds that he’s being watched by a stranger after his assault on Julia.
What does the ending ofWatchermean?
“And thats something that Julia experiences this person that is supposed to be there for her isnt.
Thats heartbreaking to me.”
And some have criticizedWatcherfor being so straightforward.
“There were times when I think we discussed, is there an alternate ending to this?
Is it too straightforward?”
And then at the end, its the guy.
The twist is sort of that there is no twist."
“Ultimately of course hes dismissive.
Where can I watchWatcher?
you could also rent or buy it viaAmazon Prime.
