I Want You (1998)

Venturing into neo-noir, director Michael Winterbottom injects a genre too often only about its cool surfaces with a welcome emotional depth. Not that it doesn't have its share of cool surfaces. Stylishly shot, I Want You's complicated structure withholds crucial information about its characters to great effect. In a film at least partially about voyeurism, albeit of an auditory variety, it places its viewers in the position of someone forced to fill in the blanks from limited information. Just as interesting is Winterbottom's handling of the film's emotional tone. In a reversal of the typical noir arc, this is a film in which characters become more sympathetic and less sinister as the story progresses. Invested with a tremendous sadness to match its run-down, after-the-party location, it's a unique entry in the noir revival -- one that can stand proudly alongside Red Rock West and The Underneath -- and another overlooked addition to the Winterbottom filmography. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide