Out of Competition: “Surveillance” by Jennifer Lynch

Director Jennifer Lynch is in Cannes for her first presentation, an out-of-Competition screening of Surveillance. It is her second feature-length film, after Boxing Helena (1993). Surveillance takes place in a small American town, where a serial killer has been on the loose. Two FBI agents in charge of solving the crimes quickly discover that all the witnesses are concealing part of the truth.

“I’m fascinated by the idea of what it is that an individual sees,” Lynch explains. “Primarily, what it is to have your life and to see something specifically through your eyes. It’s a completely different experience than anyone else has. In this story, we have a road between point A and point B. Three different groups find themselves on that road. Certain things happen to all of them. All are forced into one ultimately unfortunate situation where they are obligated to retell what happened. Each is a liar, and each holds a truth. But the shame that each feels and the reason each one is lying is at the heart of their character.”