South by SouthWest (or as the kids/advertising executives would call it, SXSW) has become an unofficial Cannes Film Festival to dark, twisted, and generally out-of-the box independent hits. Distributors like IFC Films, Magnolia/Magnet, and other smaller indie houses meet to snatch up the films that the Sundance Film Festival usually lights the fuse on, but somehow have left with their film rights in tact. And who better to sell a film that fits all three of the previously mentioned criteria than Spanish filmmaker/genre up and comer Nacho Vigalando (TimeCrimes, Extraterrestrial).
Yahoo! Movies reports that distributor Cinedigm has picked up the theatrical rights to Mr. Vigalando's latest film, Open Windows. The film is a tale about a man (Elijah Wood) with an unhealthy obsession with an actress (ex-porn star Sasha Grey). It's so unhealthy that when given the opportunity, he obtains a bird's eye view of her every waking moment. This peeper's paradise comes with a cost, though, as the person who gave him the opportunity is forcing him to use his new found access for rather devious activities. If Phone Booth and Eagle Eye were dating, this would probably be the child they'd raise together in suburbia. It would then grow up with science fiction-obsessed Compliance and become the finished product we see before us.
The trailer to the film has been out for a little while now, and it honestly looks like a taut thrill ride with a sci-fi edge. Wood has been mixing his career up over the past couple of years, especially with his role in recent films like Grand Piano and Maniac, as well as his now-ending gig on the FX(X) sitcom Wilfred. Ms. Grey, a self professed film snob, has jumped at the chance to do out of the way indie fare like this (as well as her performance in Steven Soderbergh'sThe Girlfriend Experience) and it looks like she's picked another winner with Mr. Vigalondo's latest film to put audiences on edge. You can watch Open Window's trailer below.
Open Windows is being eyed for a late summer/early fall release this year. Odds are it will be a VOD/Limited Theatrical release, so it won't have to feel creepy when people are watching a movie about people creepily watching other people like they're in a movie. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.
