Cache
One word review: Patience
Multi-word review:
Cache is one of those very slowly paced films that comes very close to being boring. I was not bored by it, but I suspect many people will be. The style is very realistic. By this I mean that it feels like watching real people going through a real situation. It is something that glossy Hollywood films constantly fail to deliver. The realism of the film make the shocking moments even more impactfull.
The basic story is that a successful french family starts recieving strange packages in the mail. The packages contain video tapes of their home. Nothing exciting seems to happen on the tapes, but it is definately creepy. Tensions rise in the house as the husband and wife try and figure out who is sending the tapes and why it is happening. To say much more about the plot would probably give something away, so I won't.
This is a movie that lives and dies based on the tension it creates. The suspense of the situation is engrossing, although the slow pacing diminishes this a bit. When shocking things happen, that suspense pays off ten fold. Less patient viewers will probably be bored.
There are some interesting techniques used in this film. Quite often it is not clear if what we are being shown is actual events or something that has been taped and is being watched by characters in the movie. This is often used to slighty confuse the viewer, which helps add to the suspense.
This is also a film that relies heavily on the actors. To feel the suspense of this situation you need to believe the characters are themselves effected. All the actors do a good job of convaying their emotions. This is even more important as much of the effects of the events in the films are only realized as reactions by the characters.