A perfect film in terms of what it chooses to tell you and what it leaves an open question. When I first saw this, I remember being underwhelmed by the lack of suspenseful sequences, what I expected when a budding film fan heard this was the most Hitchcockian thriller. As I grow older, the mystery that keeps intriguing me is Jeff (James Stewart) and his feelings of inadequacy. The structure is like Do the Right Thing where you get 90 minutes focused on everyone in this small space before the final 20 minutes bursts with everything you were promised in the advertising.
The film remains relevant because Jeff’s bravery comes when he’s safely behind the window of his apartment (which today could stand in for a computer screen), less so among the people inside his home. The various developing dramas outside also remind me now of streaming services, with a dozen options competing for our interest. Jeff trying to get others interested in the neighbor across the way is like someone binge-watching a show and then trying to get others to do the same.
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