Looking Glass

Apparently inspired by Gay Talese’s 2016 nonfiction book The Voyeur’s Motel—about a motel owner who spied on his guests—filmmaker Tim Hunter’s Looking Glass centers on Ray (Nicolas Cage) and Maggie (Robin Tunney), a couple guilt-ridden over the recent death of their daughter, who buy a motel in a small desert town to start a new life. While investigating, Ray discovers a crawlspace where he can—via a two-way mirror—observe what happens in one of the rooms: the one a grubby truck driver always wants for his nights with a local hooker, where Ray watches in horror as a murder unfolds. Ray’s voyeurism sparks his own lust but also leads to psychological deterioration, especially after a local cop begins asking questions, not only about the disappearance of the recent murder victim but also a previous killing of a young girl at the motel. The mystery of the deaths is finally resolved, albeit only elliptically, but that opaque revelation is secondary to Ray’s emotional arc, which is no clearer. Burdened by too many digressions, false leads, and much opacity—and marked by a strangely subdued turn by the usually wild-eyed Cage—this Glass doesn’t deserve a look. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)