"The Invisible Man" (2020): What you can't see can hurt you in many ways

The Invisible Man (2020) is a horror film directed by Leigh Whannell (who also directed Upgrade), starring Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, a traumatized woman who escapes from her controlling boyfriend Adrian. When she receives word that Adrian has killed himself, she tries to resume a normal life, but things are complicated when it is revealed that Adrian left her an enormous fortune and Cecilia finds herself increasingly sure that she is being stalked by an invisible presence who may be Adrian.

Elisabeth Moss is really the star of the show here, making everything that Cecilia does highly relatable, whether it's looking around in fear while convinced that something is stalking her, talking about her abuse at Adrian's hands, or actively trying to fight against the invisible entity. She embodies Cecilia's fear and determination so absolutely that all the horrible things she has been through and all the horrible things that happen to her throughout the film search to make her very sympathetic yet resolute in discovering the truth behind her recent troubles.

One fantastic scene is about halfway through the film, when Cecilia is alone in her house. Fearing for her safety, she grabs a knife, only to suddenly be accosted by an invisible force which chokes her and drags her around the house. The resulting fight was gripping and made me sit forward in my seat, completely immersed. This was interesting because I knew that there was special effects done to edit out the actor portraying the invisible force, but just watching Cecilia fighting off an enemy that she and the audience couldn't see (but Elisabeth Moss clearly could during the filming process) was so investing that I just focused on the story and what was happening, completely believing that an invisible force was attacking Cecilia.

The whole film also worked very well as an exploration of domestic abuse, of how domestic abuse can control you and make you scared and psychologically traumatized even after escaping from abuse. It is through this that Moss's performance really shines as she talks at length about Adrian would do to her, how he would control her clothing choices, her schedule, and eventually what she said and thought. This is sure to be very relatable to a lot of people, especially with increasing awareness around the world regarding how toxic and dangerous abusive relationships can be. The finale is also immensely cathartic and emotionally satisfying.

Ultimately, The Invisible Man (2020) is a great horror film in more ways than one, with an excellent performance from Elisabeth Moss, genuine creepiness in scenes where nothing overtly scary is happening, some really good scares, and a very timely exploration of the horrors and traumatizing nature of an abusive relationship.

Score: 9/10