I had hoped that Julia Stiles could save this movie. She can't. Most actresses and actors cannot overcome a bad script and indifferent direction. And this script is low quality, indeed. The director is not much better. Fans of Ms. Stiles should stick with the Bourne films and "10 Things I Hate About You". People who want offbeat suspense might try "Let Me In" or one of several Korean horror flicks from the last 15 years, including "Tell Me Something". Hitchcock fans will not be impressed with this, though some may opine that is who this director is attempting to emulate. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then incompetence is the worst form of filmmaking.

Paddy Considine as Robert Forrester is very good here. He is a man going through an at-fault divorce, Caroline Dhavernas is irritating as ex- wife Nikki. He relocates and changes jobs from New York City to get away from her and start over. He thinks.The story of a hapless man, he tries to do his best but married to an albatross like Nicki who pokes fun at him at a divorce mediation, he eventually leaves NYC to find a fork in the road...he chooses a Northeast Pennsylvania town, where he works for Lavigne aeronautics and seems to settle.He sort of stalks Julia Stiles "Jenny Thierault", by watching her for a month at her rural house, she seems happy in life and this gives him a semblance of hope for his own new life. Stiles is very good here as instead of rejecting Robert as unstable, as he is watching her from her backyard, she says "depression can crush you" and invites him for coffee. He takes this as empathy, and is surprised she is interested in him at this point.As things develop we feel for Robert who is going through divorce and suddenly realizes his minor interest in Jenny, is (to Jenny at least ) a true romance. She appears to be a borderline personality, she understands depression, but also becomes attached too quickly to any man who appears. She dumps her brutish boyfriend (Greg Wyncoop) and begins to pursue Robert more vehemently. At first he hides, then submits to her for the physical benefit. Her girlfriend sees Jenny as needing protection, and warns Robert not to hurt her.Robert knows, deep down it is wrong, but when he tries to confront Jenny after they spend a night together she starts making blueberry pancakes and telling Robert if she were to be on death row this is her favorite last meal, and she'd want to hear vintage Louis Armstrong.The photography and foreshadowing is noteworthy here.The cry of the owl resounds one night they are in bed together and Jenny is jolted awake. It's nuanced, which may be why (unfortunately ), it was not as widely distributed. The minor suspense points here are similar to Hitchcock, and very rare in film made in Hollywood today, sadly.This is an excellent suspense film. Even Julia Styles, who I rememberer from only a few previous performances, is perfect here as Jenny, attractive but lost, a winsome sad smile, and need for ...love or something more. Considine also, despite how he befalls the horrible fate, being wrongfully accused of murder etc., is sympathetic in that he is overcoming a breakdown (from his ex-wife goading him).There is a twist I will not reveal which will make you want to read all of Patricia Highsmith's short stories. "The Cry of The Owl" is haunting and real. 10/10.

Mathilda May won a César for her role in this film made by Claude Chabrol in 1987. This is a remake, and it stars Julia Stiles in the role of Jenny. I have been in love with Stiles ever since The Bourne Identity, and, while she will not be as good as May, she is still Julia Stiles, and that's enough for me.Robert's (Paddy Considine) marriage has failed, and his method of dealing with depression is to stalk Jenny, thinking she has a great relationship with her partner.The tables get turned, and she begins stalking him. If that is not enough, her boyfriend Greg (James Gilbert) keeps trying to kick his arse. But, then he disappears, and Robert is under suspicion.Twists and turns abound as Robert tries to figure out who is trying to kill him while everyone thinks he is a killer.The owl cries a lot in the film. I'm just not impressed with Considine, and the ending was abrupt.

The depressed and needy designer Robert Forrester (Paddy Considine) has just moved from New York to work in the Lavigne Aeronautics in a small town. Robert is under pressure and stalking Jenny Thierolf (Julia Stiles), sneaking around the woods every night to see the happiness of the young woman that lives alone in an isolated house. Robert is divorcing from his manipulative and cynical wife Nickie Grace (Caroline Dhavernas)in New York and is not interested in another relationship at that moment. When Jenny sees Robert snooping her, he introduces himself and she surprisingly invites him to talk to her and drink a coffee. When Jenny's boyfriend Greg Wyncoop (James Gilbert) proposes her, she realizes that she does not love him and breaks up with Greg. Then Jenny falls in love with Robert and pursues him everywhere; however Robert does not want to commit with her. Robert is loathed by Greg's friends and one day, Greg forces Robert's car off the road and attacks Robert, but Robert hits him in self-defense and leaves Greg unconscious nearby a river. When Greg goes missing, Robert becomes the prime-suspect of the police. He loses his promotion; he is suspended from his job; his friend Jack Neilson (Gord Rand) leaves him; his landlord asks his house back; and Jenny commits suicide. When Robert is shot on the street, he is sure that the responsible is Greg, but nobody believes in his words."The Cry of the Owl" is a melancholic thriller based on a novel of Patricia Highsmith and a remake of a Claude Chabrol's film of 1987 that unfortunately I have not had the chance to see yet. The story is engaging and sad and the performances are top-notch. The beauty of Caroline Dhavernas' eyes and face is impressive and her character Nickie Grace is a real bitch. The jinx of Robert Forrester is credible despite some stupid attitudes. The conclusion is open to interpretations and I Intend to compare with Chabrol's film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Vôo da Coruja" ("The Flight of the Owl")