Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App New News Showtimes

Observance

Play trailer Poster for Observance 2015,  1h 27m,  Horror/ Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 71% 17 Reviews Tomatometer 31% 100+ Ratings Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A grief-stricken private investigator (Lindsay Farris) takes on an unusual assignment and finds himself at the center of a series of dark and unexplained happenings.

Where to Watch

Observance

Apple TV

Buy Observance on Apple TV.

Critics Reviews

View More
John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter May 11, 2016
Joseph Sims-Dennett's Observance bundles voyeurism, blind obedience and grief up in a package that is already plenty disturbing before the biological horrors slink in. Go to Full Review
Jake Wilson Sydney Morning Herald Apr 7, 2016
3/5
A clever, low-budget exercise from the young Australian-based director Joseph Sims-Dennett, Observance is a hybrid of two familiar brands of psychological thriller. Go to Full Review
Luke Buckmaster Guardian Apr 4, 2016
3/5
A twitchy, icky, genuinely unsettling psychological thriller about a private investigator who takes on what appears to be a simple, well-paying job. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Sep 18, 2020
2.5/4.0
I'm likely somewhere in the middle with an appreciation for what Sims-Bennett was aiming for but a sense of frustration that certain elements simply didn't come together. Go to Full Review
Andrew F. Peirce The Curb Apr 4, 2020
Observance is simply a confusing film that wants to be so much more than it is. Go to Full Review
C.J. Prince Way Too Indie Jun 3, 2019
6/10
Putting its clichés and reliance on withholding information for the sake of mystery aside, there are some undeniably creepy moments peppered throughout. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Kylo S Oct 2, 2018 Didnt understand it after watching it. But then read analysis of the movie which made a lot of sense. Its a good movie if you can follow along. See more
Albus R Mar 7, 2017 OBSERVANCE doesn't offer any easy answers for those who many be looking for a light genre film to watch with their significant other, cuddled in bed. Does that make it a film not worth watching? Of course not. But understand that any low scores aggreated on this site from audience ratings, (which is at an insultingly low 33% at the time of this entry, and an appropriately valued 82% from ACTUAL FILM CRITICS), so please keep this in mind. The less you know going in, the better. The synopsis listed on the RT site is all you need, (at most). The main "fresh" reviews say everything I would otherwise give away: The unblinkingly devotion from Director Joseph Sims-Dennett to bright his Polanski, Hichtcock, and perhaps most relevant, "Kubrickian" screenplay to such effective life -- a life dense with homages to the aforementioned masterminds of cinema -- is beyond jaw-dropping. It's flat-out brilliant considering the 10K budget used to make OBSERVANCE. While I could, and should, sing the praises of the cast in the film, I don't feel it's necessary because when you watch it -- and you will watch it if you are still reading this -- will win you over immediately. There are a few missteps along the journey, but the central role of Parker is incredibly captivating, such that spending 90 minutes with almost exclusively him is a strength the film possess. From an artistic point of view, it's objectively gorgeous despite how sickening some of the imagery quickly becomes. Okay, MOST of the imagery quick becomes nightmare-fuel -- both for our dear Parker, who's sanity is the most immediately obvious reason we cheer for his endurance to make it out alive and well, as well as nightmare fuel for us, the view. You see, OBSERVANCE, not unlike The Shining, (by the way I loved the nod to the famous Kubrick Horror masterpiece by naming the street "Overlook," despite being far from subtle), wants us to empathyze with our central character who is isolated/disconnected for an extended amount of time due to financial incentives too good to turn down when times are tough -- and times for Parker are worse than we can begin to imagine, but this is only revealed in later moments of the film. We know this story. We've grown up with the various iterations of the lead character being a seemingly innocuous guy to root for, that has recently sufferered a trauma that is only mentinoed in a single early dialogue line, and then through an increasingly unnerving sequence of surrealism that would have David Lynch standing on his chair applauding, we are subjected to dream sequences that don't play fair or nice -- for either Parker, or the audience. It's left to us to piece together what we're shown, and solve the puzzle -- which is conveniently solved for us just as a sign of good faitth in the third act's final seconds. OBSERVERVANCE aims at the audience's vulnerabilities for so long, and we FEEL that disconfort, as if there's a door left open in the house we call our minds. But when the cards are shown on the table, we remember this isn't about us, and we've been carefully baited into thinking what we are watching is a general narrative that follows the rules of conventional story-telling. Don't feel bad if you, too, take the low-hanging bait and fall for this. It's just more reason to applaud the production's entire execution. What a bright, er...probably dark and ominous...future Sims-Dennett has in front of him. If you need a film to liken to this one in terms of gauging what kind of terror and unease in you're in for, I consider the recently released DEMON (no, not the M. Night film god no please not that one!) to be the most appropriate. Happy watching :) See more
Leia S Oct 26, 2016 Típica película pretenciosa y aburrida... el tipo vigila una vieja, y ni entendí para qué. No la terminé de ver, al final la mata.
Read all reviews
Observance

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Invisible Target 70% Invisible Target Watchlist Escape Velocity 0% Escape Velocity Watchlist Diamond 13 13% Diamond 13 Watchlist American Yakuza 42% American Yakuza Watchlist Yesterday 21% Yesterday Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A grief-stricken private investigator (Lindsay Farris) takes on an unusual assignment and finds himself at the center of a series of dark and unexplained happenings.
Director
Joseph Sims-Dennett
Screenwriter
Josh Zammit
Production Co
Sterling Cinema
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Australian English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 27m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings