See for Me Parent Guide

Sophie (Skyler Davenport) enjoyed a promising career as one of the most successful under-18 skiers in America, until she tragically lost her sight. Unable to continue her career as it was, Sophie has taken to house and pet-sitting. Of course, it’s hard to make good money that way, which is why Sophie has also started stealing from the houses she sits. She never steals anything big or noticeable, and always with a value under $5,000 – besides, who’s going to suspect the blind house sitter? On her latest job for the recently divorced Debra (Laura Vandervoort), Sophie gets lucky, as Debra keeps an extensive wine cellar…but her luck is about to change. A break-in in the middle of the night puts Sophie’s life at risk, and the burglars are after far more than a few bottles of wine. Sophie’s only hope is a new app, “See for Me”, which connects her with Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who can use her phone’s camera to guide her around – but whether or not Sophie listens to her is another matter.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Lately, it seems that thrillers are following similar formulas, and it sucks the fun out of the movie in a major way. Nothing takes the tension out of a movie quite like knowing how it’s going to end. And while See for Me follows a few of those tropes, it also threw me some real curveballs. Sophie is an interesting character, seemingly vulnerable, crafty, stubborn, scared, and resilient all at once. Usually, the “poor little blind girl” in these movies ends up being written as some timid victim with little initiative – not so with Sophie. She’s crazy, sure, but that’s the appeal. It’s nice to see a portrayal of a person with a disability who has character traits beyond the narrow social stereotypes of that disability.

Now, that being said, this is not an awesome choice for family viewing. The violence is fairly tame, mostly happening in the dark or off-screen, but there’s enough profanity that you’re not going to want to watch this with your kids. It’s also ramps up the tension, and if you’re naturally inclined to anxiety, this is not going to help. However, since there’s no sexual content and no drugs or alcohol, this is probably suitable for older teens – provided you can look past the profanity. See for Me walks a difficult tightrope, including just enough tropes to feel familiar, and subverting expectations enough to feel new and fresh. If you’re a fan of thrillers, you’re going to want to give this one a look – no pun intended.