Review of ‘Stranger Eyes’: Yeo Siew Hua’s Elegant Exploration of Voyeurism Despite Surveillance

Initially, “Stranger Eyes” might seem to echo the unsettling premise of Michael Haneke’s “Caché”: a couple receives an anonymous DVD showing footage of their daily lives, raising unsettling questions about privacy.

However, where Haneke’s film expanded into complex sociopolitical terrain, this psychodrama from Singaporean director Yeo Siew Hua ventures beyond mere voyeurism. Quickly resolving one problem, it plunges into deeper explorations of human nature and relationships, revealing a vulnerable core beneath its sleek surface.

Yeo Siew Hua, recognized for his distinctive style following the 2018 triumph of “A Land Imagined,” continues to refine his genre-bending narrative techniques. This film, more polished and engaging than his previous works, emphasizes character and emotional depth over intricate plot mechanics.

With a backdrop of Singapore’s densely populated, grid-like high-rises, the setting amplifies the themes of surveillance and privacy, as the protagonists, Junyang (Wu Chien-ho) and Peiying (Anicca Panna), pass their crowded living conditions, exacerbating strains in their relationship.

The plot thickens with the mysterious disappearance of their baby daughter, Bo, and the arrival of ominous DVDs documenting their lives, escalating the sense of invasion. While the police provide scant assistance and add another layer of surveillance, the couple’s quest for answers leads them to Wu (Lee Kang-sheng), their reclusive neighbor.

This interaction is merely the start of a disorienting journey through human connections, where even the couple begins to view each other through a lens of estrangement, their own flaws and fears exposed by the ongoing crisis.

As the narrative reveals, it employs a deft temporal shift, skillfully edited by Jean-Christophe Bouzy, challenging the viewer’s grasp of time and continuity. This device reveals how superficially Junyang and Peiying have perceived each other, while Wu’s story, marked by Lee’s poignant performance, adds a rich emotional layer to the film’s cold, meticulous structure.

“Stranger Eyes” thus offers a critique of the pervasive surveillance culture and a meditation on the erosion of personal connections and trust, capturing a nostalgic longing for genuine community despite technological encroachment.