Rear Window

The film, Rear Window, by Alfred Hitchcock follows the musing plight of a photographer named Jeff (played by Jimmy Stewart), who has a broken leg, and has succumb to the immobility revolving around his newfound injury, cementing him in his apartment. He is under the care of his nurse, Stella, and love interest, Lisa. During his healing in his apartment, he becomes an avid viewer and observer of the goings on within the apartment complex he lives in via binoculars from his open balcony window. Things go from innocent observing to quite serious when he witnesses what he perceives as a murder by one of his neighbors on their female spouse. Things from here just get more tangling and suspicious as Jeff attempts to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The film uses the gaze of Jeff heavily as the camera acts as his viewing eyes around his complex through the binoculars of his apartment. The camera never once leaves his apartment, and the set gives off the setting of an enclosed, secluded area in which Jeff is forced to give the audience his view. The film's score also accompanies the suspicions of Jeff. Rear Window also heavily regulates the actual amount of different settings by keeping everything located within the apartment complex, as the camera never enters any of the other denizen's apartments (whether suspicious or not), however, heavily relying on our gaze through the eyes of the dormant Jeff observing them on his own.

The film is successful thanks to the light hearted and amusing interactions between Jeff and his friends as he attempts to solve the mysteries involving the murder, and the gaze of our main character as he aims to solve a murder-mystery within his apartment. This is accomplished thanks to our believing in him as we see his paranoias first hand. Hitchcock's use of a single setting and consistent use of Jeff's gaze being the audience's view gives off the ultimate sense of disturbing paranoia as we become invested in Jeff's concern over the potential murder along with him. Essentially, we become Jeff and become concerned for the friends he keeps. The ending isn't much of a pay off, as it is somewhat predictable. The journey alone towards the ending, however, is one that rocks our senses, as we feel like we are the ones solving the murder and witnessing the place in which Jeff lives as he sees it. It's accurate in creating any suspicions, raw paranoia, and is utterly convicted in making us invested in Jeff's experiences while being in his apartment (as we never leave it).