Chloe Okuno’s debut feature is a taut and tense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

It had The Invisible Man vibes, not for the supernatural element but for a story that shows the frustrations of women who aren’t believed when they tell men they are in danger.

Julia (Maika Monroe) has moved to Bucharest with her Romanian speaking husband Francis (Karl Glusman). She doesn’t speak the language and her days are spent alone as she wanders the streets and stares out the window of their apartment. There’s a definite Hitchcock feel to the set up as Julia notices a figure in the window of the apartment opposite who seems to be watching her. The man might also be following her.

For a while we’re not sure if Julia is imagining the threat or if it is real. There is also a serial killer in the area, the Spider, and this cranks Julia’s fears into overdrive.

The stranger is played by Burn Gorman who has the perfect face and demeanour for menacing so we get why Julia is freaked out. As she tries to get her husband then the police to believe her, we see how easily women are dismissed and their concerns minimised by men. The only person to take her seriously is neighbour Irina (Madalina Anea) who wisely counsels her that it’s better to be wrong and alive than to have your throat slit and say I told you so.

Although it hits many of the beats of a traditional thriller, including some great jump scares, it has a slow burn that makes the most of the gorgeously empty Bucharest streets to gradually crank up the tension. Julia’s feeling of isolation and vulnerability is palpable, emphasised by her inability to understand the language – the lack of subtitling makes us join her in her feelings of exclusion.

The scene on the train was particularly well realised and I suspect that women the world over will understand how Julia feels. Do you be nice? Might you be wrong? Is that a severed head in his carrier bag?

The ending was nicely satisfying with that final look saying everything.

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