An inspiring photographer begins to secretly take pictures of his attractive neighbour, even though his female best friend argues against his actions in the independent feature Framed.
It’s good to be surprised when watching new films, especially independent features from up-and-coming film directors. Framed surprised me. When the movie initially started playing, I thought I was about to watch a low-budget Rear Window rip-off. Fortunately, director and writer Nick Rizzini went in another direction, and it was the right choice to make. What I initially thought would be a cheaper thriller, turned into an eighty-minute debate about morality and privacy, with some romance and thriller elements thrown in for good measure.
Having recently left his stable job, Karl (Thomas Law) decides to take up a new hobby – photography. Thanks to the cameras his father left him after passing, Karl dreams of presenting an exhibition at a local gallery but needs inspiration. That inspiration soon comes to him in the form of an attractive neighbour who likes to get undressed and try on clothes next to an open window. Grabbing one of his cameras, Karl soon starts to take snaps of the woman. This take on invading somebody’s privacy soon starts to turn into an obsession for the aspiring photographer.
When Karl next spots his neighbour, topless, he again starts to take pictures, but he is spotted by the object of his attention. Flustered after being seen, Karl decides to come clean to his best friend Virginia (Lottie Amor). An employee of a law firm and a somewhat feminist, Virginia (or V as Karl affectionately calls her) is dead against Karl’s actions, yet they remain close.
With both Karl and Virginia being unlucky in love, I was actually hoping the two get together throughout the runtime, and I wasn’t disappointed to watch them become closer and closer, despite their different opinions on what is morally right and wrong, what is art and what is voyeurism. They both seemed to have a mutual attraction to one another and natural chemistry, which is the result of both good writing, direction, and performance from the two actors.
To be fair, I was very impressed with both Thomas Law and Lottie Amor; both performers seemed very natural in their portrayals and I can imagine that they will go onto big things, especially if they continue to churn out work as they have done here. Although the cast is rather minimal, all involved do a great job.
Framed is a very well-made and performed feature film. I’ll certainly be on the lookout for Nick Rizzini’s future works, as well as that of Law and Amor. Intelligent and thought-provoking, Framed is a movie we can certainly recommend.
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