[Film Review] Stalker (2025)

Stalker (dir. David Cholewa) is a really well-made short film with an excellent lead performance and lots of style.There’s much to enjoy, but honestly, I was kind of left scratching my head by the end. The last third of the film just confused me more than it wowed me. Still, there are some intense moments throughout. If you’re into short films that try something a bit different, it’s definitely worth a look, even if it doesn’t all come together perfectly. For what it’s worth, I watched it twice just to see if I missed anything the first time around, and discovered myself picking up on little details I hadn’t noticed before.

What the movie does really well is capture that creepy feeling of walking home alone at night and thinking someone might be watching you. The first part of the film had me totally hooked. I could feel the main character’s nerves every time she looked over her shoulder or gripped her phone. It all felt genuine and relatable. I think many people, especially women, will see themselves in those moments, which is probably why that segment of the film is so effective. This sense of dread builds up slowly, and the director really uses the city at night to make you feel isolated and vulnerable.

The lead actress’ (Sandra Hohenadel) performance sells the fear, anxiety, and panic just through her body language alone. Even when her character makes the predictable choices you see in many horror movies, Hohenadel makes those moments feel totally believable and rooted in real fear. When she finally comes face-to-face with the stalker and just freezes, dropping whatever she’s holding, it hits hard because of it’s authenticity. Sometimes fear just takes over, and the film really embodies that. 

The cinematography has a stylish and cool feel to it, mainly when it crouches close to the ground in those dark, empty streets. Some of the overhead shots of Paris pulled me out of the story a bit, though. I wanted to see more of those tense, close-up scenes to keep that creepy vibe going. I almost wish the movie had leaned into that even more, maybe showing different parts of Paris or following the character through more neighbourhoods. The setting is a big part of what makes the movie feel both familiar and a little off-kilter.

The ending kind of lost me though. There’s a big twist that takes things in a pretty unexpected direction, and I honestly wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean. Was it just there to shock me, or was there some deeper message I missed? I liked that the movie tried something bold and different, but it didn’t land for me. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but it’s the kind of ending where you want to talk about it with someone else just to see if they picked up on something you didn’t. I respect that the film goes for something ambitious, it’s important to see a filmmaker play with creativity on screen.

The last scene, where the main character is reminiscing over some old family photos, also threw me off. After everything that happened, this seemed weird and out of place. A more subtle ending could have hit harder, and landed better.. The emotional shift didn’t really connect for me, leaving me a bit cold. Perhaps other people will get more out of that scene, interpreting it in their own personal way.

Overall, Stalker is a pretty solid short film with some very tense moments and an excellent performance from its lead actress. It’s not perfect, and some of the deeper stuff went over my head, but I’m glad I watched it. I think it’ll stick with me for a while, even if I’m still not sure what it all meant. If you like short films that are a little strange and don’t mind stories that leave you with more questions than answers, you’ll probably get something out of this one. At the very least, it’s the kind of movie that makes you want to talk about it afterwards.

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