Day 49: "Cry of the Owl"

Director: Claude Chabrol 1987
Disappointing psychological thriller based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith ("Strangers On a Train," "The Talented Mr. Ripley"). The characters are murky at best--their behavior at times inexplicable. The main character is a morose, self-centered illustrator who spies on a young woman who lives alone in the country. He eventually confronts her. Rather than call the police, she invites him in--and falls in love. The problem is that he doesn't love her--or anyone one. There's also a boyfriend and an estranged, nasty wife. The suspense is minimal, the ending unsatisfying. Chabrol has been compared to Hitchcock, but this is a decidedly minor effort.
If you want to see a good adaptation of a Highsmith novel, rent "Ripley's Game" (2002). John Malkovich is Ripley--a part he was born to play.