Faces in the Crowd - A Neat Little Thriller
Faces are the barcode of the human race. Ever since mankind went tribal, we're constantly looking at each others faces trying to decide whether they're friends, foes, or lovers.
Released in 2011, Faces in the Crowd was written and directed by Julien Magnat and stars the stunningly talented Milla Jovovich.
SPOILERS - because I'm lazy and don't want to tip toe around the story.
Anna (Jovovich) is leaving the bar one night when she witnesses a murder by a serial killer that is wreaking havoc on the city she lives in. He's called Tearjerk Jack because he slits women's throats and then cries on them. Which...like....what? (the motive behind this is never explained)
The killer chases Anna after she sees him murder his latest victim, and after a grapple together, Anna falls off a bridge. She wakes up a week later and is diagnosed with prosopagnosia also known as face blindess.
Now, I'm pretty sure I've seen face blindness a few times before in movies and tv shows right? Like...didn't Hannibal do an episode of it? Or was it Bones? Either way, I was like meh that sounds like a lot of work. But this movie made me fucking TERRIFIED of ever developing this.
When Anna wakes up she's surrounded by her two best friends and boyfriend, none of whom she recognizes. When she looks in the mirror her own face changes multiple times. When she finally tries to go back to work (she's a teacher), all the children have the same face. IT'S SO SCARY.
Anyway, Detective Kerrest enters the picture and is frustrated because Anna's the only one who's ever seen the killer, but can't even recognize him. Anna is convinced the killer is after her after she finds her purse returned to her and senses someone watching her. She goes to a therapist/doctor situation who's deaf but reads lips incredibly well, named Dr. Langenkamp (named after Heather from Nightmare on Elm Street) who starts teaching her tips and tricks to remember people. Because although she can't remember people's faces, and they change constantly, she can remember the way people walk, talk, their specific mannerisms, the way they dress etc.
But the killer could be anyone, including her boyfriend. (I was convinced it was - what a weirdo
But it's not.
It's Detective Lanyon, Kerrest's partner.....
Right?
What?
I mean, obviously this movie isn't believable in any way and takes many liberties, but it is super enjoyable. And some of the scenes where we see the world from Anna's point of view are quite terrifying. The final showdown between the detectives and Anna is suuuuper intense and you honestly have no idea who is who.
The very ending though is kind of a cheesey mess. But that's okay!
I'd recommend for any thriller fan to check it out and then join me in my fear of now developing face blindness.
Don’t want to miss anything on the site? Sign up for our newsletter HERE
Want more horror movie reviews? Just search below:
