10 Films About Voyeurism
As its name suggests, the camera lens has almost irrevocably associated itself with the human eye. Every angle, track and close-up directs our attention. We watch who were told to watch, whether we like it or not. Nevertheless, as the camera lingers through a bedroom window, we are the breathless accomplice in the shadows. Cinema has made voyeurs of us all. For a film-maker, it's the ultimate tease. After presenting us with the forbidden, they then take an impish pride in admonishing our lack of restraint. We reach out for a reward but receive a rap on the knuckles. An audience can understandably grow uncomfortable with this trap - yet we keep coming back for more.The rise of reality TV (or rather, a newly-emerged form of exhibitionism) has simultaneously robbed and reinforced voyeurism of its immediate sexual implications, with cinema quick to exaggerate its extremes. A world of hidden cameras may not lead to 'The Truman Show', nor Big Brother to 'My Little Eye', but both serve as cautionary tales, the perils of curiosity. So dim the lights, grab a pair of binoculars and join me, wont you, as I unveil before your very eyes ten of the finest films to watch the watcher.