The Girl at the Window

The screenplay maketh the film, as many have paraphrased on the Oscars stage. And it bears truth. Believe it or not, Meryl Streep is not even exempt from the struggles of a poorly written film. Throw in one of the most difficult genres to tackle, some lacklustre editing and a global production-affecting pandemic, and you have a bit of a mess on your hands. 

In recent years, Australia has become a frontrunner in producing quality, thought-provoking horrors and thrillers – even on a shoestring budget. The Loved Ones, Relic, Hounds of Love, Wolf Creek and critically acclaimed The Babadook come to mind. Australian film takes pride in taking its time, marinating a well-thought-out idea to avoid falling into the abyss of predictable horror tropes and forgettable, recycled plotlines. But sometimes, some films slip through the cracks, which is where we find ourselves with The Girl at the Window. 

The plot is simple and familiar enough. A serial killer is on the loose in a suburban town, and a grieving teenager (Ella Newton) starts to believe it’s her neighbour/dude with a suspicious-looking shed/mum’s new lover (Vince Colosimo), and starts to do her own detective work. Cue many a “don’t go upstairs!” and “oh cmon!’s”, and we have a film that clearly did not get through the COVID pandemic very well. Much like director Mark Hartley’s previous film Patrick, Girl at the Window encompasses all the horror movie tropes you would expect. Expect to sit through underwhelming jump scares, atrocious dialogue (sometimes bad guys just do bad things), a twist that maybe you don’t see coming but also makes little sense. There is no motivation for any character’s choices. And some choices seem so beyond believable, all you can do is laugh. 

Much unlike its previously mentioned predecessors, the film also takes no time in building plot or tension. Instead, it throws characters and the audience into the terror from the first scene, completely eradicating any possibility of the viewer connecting with the film on any level. With Newton’s character still mourning the loss of her father – grief is a solid theme that could have been explored here so much better. In this case, The Girl at the Window fails in every way The Babadook succeeded.

More frustratingly, it is the conflicting elements that make the film exceptionally difficult to watch. Horror is undeniably challenging and audiences are forgiving. But The Girl at the Window’s issues were almost louder than the giggles heard from within our screening: a twist that is not only revealed in such a sudden and underwhelming way, but also justifies nothing; random scenes that suddenly change editing style; sporadic elements of the supernatural, when there is in no spiritual entity involved at all. Even the title is a transparent victim of the new Netflix comedy parody, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. 

The casting of acclaimed actors Rahda Mitchell and Vince Colosimo fail to keep this film afloat and feel wasted. The single saving grace here, however, is Ella Newton. Despite having very little to work with, Newton is striking on screen and manages to deliver the best she can all things considered. If partnered with the right screenplay, you can see the potential in her immediately. 

As an avid horror fan, and an even greater supporter of Australian film, I would be ecstatic to recommend a new film that showcases our local talent, but unfortunately here I can’t. All I can say is I’m looking forward to seeing what Ella Newton does next, and that I hope we see some refreshing Aussie cinema on our screens soon. 

The Girl at the Window
In cinemas Thursday 18 August 2022
View Trailer