The Voyeurs Movie Storyline. Pippa and Thomas move into their dream apartment, they notice that their windows look directly into the apartment opposite – inviting them to witness the volatile relationship of the attractive couple across the street. But when they attempt to anonymously intercede in their lives, they unwittingly set in motion a chain of events that will lead to disaster.
The Voyeurs is a 2021 American erotic thriller film written and directed by Michael Mohan. Shot and set in Montreal, it stars Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith as a young couple who spy on and become obsessed by the love lives of their neighbors across the street (Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ben Hardy). Greg Gilreath and Adam Hendricks serve as producers under their Divide / Conquer banner.
It was released on September 10, 2021, by Amazon Studios, on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. The film’s supportng cast are Katharine King So, Cameo Adele, Jean Yoon, Emily Shelton, Blessing Adedijo, Inka Malovic and Jillian Harris. Film critics afforded The Voyeurs a mixed reception, comparing it unfavorably to its forebears in voyeuristic thriller genre, such as Rear Window (1954) and Body Double (1984).
About the Story
A young couple, Pippa and Thomas, move in together for the first time in an apartment in Montreal. After a brief voyeuristic moment with Pippa trying on some tasteful lingerie at a boutique, the movie opens with Thomas signing the lease of their new apartment joking that he feels as though he is signing his life away as the realtor asserts that the owners forbid tenants from putting holes in walls or suspending items from the ceiling.
To which Thomas asks,”even curtains” as the apartment features very large, unobstructed windows of the city and the building directly across the street. Just as Pippa enters the apartment from a shopping trip, the realtor rolls her eyes and states, the the owners wouldn’t rent the apartment to just anyone, implying that they will be held to what is outlined in the lease agreement to the letter.
Pippa, who has spent most of her life in school, is eager to live more adventurously. As they admire the view out their window, they realize they can see everything in the apartment across the street. A man with a professional photography studio is taking pictures of a woman, and Pippa and Thomas watch as they begin having sex in the kitchen. Thomas continues to watch at first, but stops at Pippa’s insistence. They joke that the unknown woman’s name is Margot, and the man’s name is Brent.
Pippa works as an optometrist at L’Optique. She tells her friend and coworker Ari about the couple across the street; Ari says there was nothing wrong with looking since they must have known they could be seen, but Pippa disagrees that it is an invitation. Their boss, Dr. Sato, gives Pippa a bird feeder as a housewarming gift.
Pippa buys binoculars so she and Thomas can watch the couple. Pippa initiates sex with Thomas as they watch the neighbors have sex again. They also see “Brent” have sex with another woman while “Margot” is away. Pippa and Thomas go to lunch with Ari and Thomas’s sister Joni. Pippa says she wishes she could know what the neighbors were saying, and Joni tells her that Thomas knows a way to listen in on another room using a laser pointer. Thomas explains the process; however, they need a reflective surface to send the laser beam back to them for it to work.
They see “Brent” in costume setting up the apartment for a Halloween party, inspiring Pippa to sneak in by blending in with the guests. Pippa places a mirror in the apartment as they are approached by “Margot” dressed as Margot from The Royal Tenenbaums. Pippa and Thomas are later able to listen from their apartment. They are unsettled to hear “Margot” confront “Brent” about his infidelity; “Brent” assaults “Margot” and convinces her that her suspicions are unfounded.
The next day, “Margot”, whose real name is Julia, goes to L’Optique and receives an eye exam and new glasses from Pippa. Julia invites Pippa to hang out with her. While Julia is at L’Optique, Thomas sees “Brent” photograph a model and pressure her into having sex with him. Pippa feels she has to tell Julia, but Thomas discourages her from watching the neighbors more. Pippa watches Julia apologize to “Brent” while he rejects her, convincing Pippa to see Julia. Julia reveals that she is a former model and her husband is named Sebastian, or Seb. He is a big name in the photography industry while she has doubts about her own worth.
Pippa observes Seb having a ménage à trois and throwing a condom away afterwards. She later discovers how to access Julia and Seb’s printer, which she uses to anonymously tell Julia that Seb is cheating and uses the condom as proof. Thomas angrily confronts Pippa about her involvement in Julia and Seb’s relationship, and they watch as Julia grabs a knife and almost stabs Seb in his sleep, but instead goes to the bathroom and cries. The next morning, Pippa apologizes to Thomas and promises to stop watching Julia and Seb, but as she talks to Thomas, she grabs the binoculars and sees Seb discover Julia’s body in the bathroom, as she seemingly slit her throat. Thomas blames Pippa for Julia’s death, breaks up with her, and leaves the apartment.
As Pippa struggles to process the breakup and suicide, she continues to watch Seb. She watches him go to a nearby pub, and decides to walk to the pub herself. Seb sits by her and asks if he had met her before, which Pippa denied. Seb tells her he’s going through something painful, and discloses that an unnamed partner had been angry with him for being unfaithful, but he viewed the affairs as “less than meaningless” and did not view them as a big deal.
Seb tells her he has an exhibition coming up and invites her to attend, and invites Pippa to let him photographer at his apartment, which Pippa accepts. Seb pushes Pippa to let him photograph her nude, and after they both remove their clothes they begin having sex. Thomas returns to the apartment, drinks a drink Pippa left in the fridge, and then pours it into her bird feeder. While doing so, he sees Pippa having sex with Seb across the street. The next morning, Pippa returns to her apartment, and finds Thomas dead, having supposedly hanged himself.
Pippa goes to dinner with Ari, and she tells her about Julia and Thomas’s deaths as well as her affair with Seb. Ari assures Pippa that none of this is her fault. Pippa says she wishes she could see Seb again to get closure, and she and Ari go to Seb’s exhibition. Seb tells her he’s surprised she came but is glad she did. He then addresses the attendees and says the project was a collaboration with his wife Julia, who then joins Seb on stage.
The Voyeurs (2021)
Directed by: Michael Mohan
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Justice Smith, Ben Hardy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Katharine King So, Cameo Adele, Jean Yoon, Emily Shelton, Blessing Adedijo, Inka Malovic, Jillian Harris
Screenplay by: Michael Mohan
Production Design by: Adam Reamer
Cinematography by: Elisha Christian
Film Editing by: Christian Masini
Costume Design by: Romy Itzigsohn
Set Decoration by: Anne Faubert, Yanick Veilleux
Art Direction by: Marie-Soleil Dénommé, David Gaucher
Music by: Will Bates
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity including brief graphic nudity, language and some disturbing images.
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Release Date: September 10, 2021
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