Gazer (2025) Review: In a Timeless State

Though Gazer starts as a promising mystery thriller, over time it becomes way too convoluted and ambiguous for its own good.

In the film’s opening scene, we are introduced to our leading lady, Frankie (Ariella Mastroianni), who is an alluring character from the start. As someone with dyschronometria, which is the scientific term for her condition, she cannot accurately assess the passage of time and relies on prerecorded cassette tapes to keep herself focused and in the moment. Throughout the film’s runtime, we witness her experiencing dreamlike, warped visions that gradually feed us information about her state of mind and her dark past that is doused in trauma.

Viewers are also given insight into Frankie’s current life situation. She is struggling to make ends meet and is deemed unfit to care for her daughter full-time due to her neurological dysfunction. Due to this, her child lives with her ex-mother-in-law, who doesn’t think highly of her. This results in a turbulent relationship between the two, which only elevates the film’s tense and conflict-driven tone.

Just when it feels like things can’t get any worse financially for Frankie, she meets a mysterious woman who promises to pay her $3000 if she does some work for her. The task at hand? To break into this enigmatic lady’s apartment that she shares with her brother, find her car keys that she left behind after quickly fleeing the residence due to her sibling’s alleged violent nature, and drive her car to a specific, remote location. As Frankie is desperate to raise $10,000 for her daughter’s future, she agrees to do the job, but, of course, it isn’t what it seems, and things take a nasty turn.

For the first hour of Gazer, I was all in. If you’re a big fan of mystery thrillers, the film’s setup will hook you from the very first moment, kicking the narrative off with intriguing concepts. The movie does a stellar job of making the audience connect with the protagonist right off the bat because she’s experiencing relatable hardships that echo real-life scenarios. Frankie is desperate to provide for her daughter and leave her with a small fortune, as the future is uncertain when it comes to our leading lady’s condition. Even if her dyschronometria can make her unwillingly unreliable, at face value, she’s a caring mother who adores her child.

Director Ryan J. Sloan’s strength is his ability to create an unnerving atmosphere filled with uncertainty and unease, and Gazer is at its best when the story behind the mystery is still in the process of being uncovered. When a film leaves you unsure of what might happen next, it creates excitement, and the unpredictability only heightens the suspense and amplifies the thrill. Gazer evokes this constant state of anxiety from the audience during the first 60 minutes and never loses its momentum during that time. With each minute that passes, the narrative makes it difficult to foresee what might come next, and it’s an enjoyable ride. However, when all the components are finally pieced together, I couldn’t help but feel that the anticipation was far more engaging and exhilarating than the actual outcome.

As Frankie’s visions reveal more about her past and the story attempts to weave this element of the film into the mystery component of the narrative, the two storylines don’t mesh well together nor fully align. One of the subplots is a riveting mystery thriller, while the other edges towards the horror genre and delves into a woman’s internal suffering, some of which is represented through eccentric imagery that left me baffled by its meaning. I couldn’t help but feel as though this symbolism was weird for weird’s sake, and we weren’t provided enough insight into why and what some of these visions are meant to represent, which left me frustrated.

As Gazer leaned more heavily into these disturbing dream-like states Frankie is experiencing, that’s when the film started to lose me. At times, these two subplots felt like two different films entirely, neither of which fit well narratively into the same universe. With a strong foundation established early on and a fantastic performance from Ariella Mastroianni, it’s a shame that what started as an intense, captivating thriller didn’t take us all the way to the finish line and deliver a satisfying conclusion. Instead, Gazer’s resolution is weak, leaving viewers with far more questions than answers.

Gazer will be released in New York at the Angelika Film Center on April 4, 2025, and in Los Angeles at the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA on April 11.