Voyeur: A Neo-Noir Thriller That Sheds Light On Media Ethics

As soon as you hear the raspy voice-over, the prose cascading from his mouth, spewing dread into words that would have otherwise only drawn inspiration; you know you are in for a ride. At little less than 15:00-minute in its duration, writer-director Vache Kechichian’s Voyeur manages to address a complex issue that has rarely been delved into. A mirror to contemporary society’s depravity. At what point does one draw the line? Who is responsible for breaking the incessant cycle of supply and consumption of media? Has the moral compass always been askew? These questions begin to linger in one’s mind. And, that is where Voyeur’s real triumph lies. 

The short is a riveting thriller that raises questions on morality, media consumption and the faint line that differentiates professionalism from apathy. Largely involving only two characters, Kechichian’s writing nudges his audience from looking inward before judging them. They’re morally reprehensible and feeding off of one another creating a frenzy of greed, obsession and depravity. One must note that the characters have been specifically written to evoke a sense of helpless decline in a world that has long lost its sense of indignation. Tense and at times even suffocating, the film manages to evoke a sense of shudder at the lengths to which the characters go to make ends meet. 

Jayce (Nicholas Hall) is a black market photographer who is hired by Tommy (Nathan Luke) to help sensationalise news that will break the internet. To put it aptly, two unscrupulous souls come together with their own sinister doings, but out of desperation. It doesn’t help that a serial killer, better known as the 10 o’clock killer is on the loose. As the two begin to descend on the path of moral rot, roles get reversed, and the sight is soon lost on what constitutes for journalism. Elliot Ronning’s cinematography adds a new meaning to the title. The camera lingers along the alleyways, the neon-soaked lighting and shadows forming a deathly hollow that will consume anyone into its darkness. As the unknown killer (Jarrod Riley) prowls the streets, openly challenging authorities, Jayce begins to question his own motives. As the morbid curiosity takes over, the lines begin to blur between voyeurism and exhibitionism, rectitude and depravation.

As the music (Aren Kechichian) ascends to its crescendo, so do the actions of the characters involved. This is a path of no return and Kechichian ensures that you are left with the shards of its evidence. Voyeur isn’t grotesque, the murder scenes aren’t tantalising; instead it’s the pursuit of it that is made to seem so. The characters aren’t outright villainous, but their actions are unredeemable. The genius of Kechichian shines through the writing that underscores the complexity of ethical journalism, or the lack thereof, the moral compass that has broken and the society that is left behind to answer the uncomfortable questions.

Bravo!

Watch Voyeur Short Film Trailer