What if the nagging feeling that you're different from everyone else wasn't just in your head? In the sci-fi thriller "Don't Look Deeper," that anxiety becomes a terrifying reality. It follows Aisha (Helena Howard), a high school senior who begins to suspect that something is fundamentally wrong with her own body and memories. At first, it’s just a feeling. But as you can probably imagine, it soon blossoms into something much more.
If you've ever felt like an outsider or questioned your place in the world, "Don't Look Deeper" will strike a deeply unsettling chord. For anyone looking for a hidden gem, it’s a quick, binge-worthy watch that poses some heavy questions about what makes us who we are. And here's some fun trivia: It began life as a Quibi series. Remember Quibi?
If you want a thriller movie that messes with your mind more than it makes you jump, this one is well worth settling into since you can stream it for free on Prime Video.
What is ‘Don't Look Deeper’ about?
Aisha is a high school senior living in Merced, California. She's dealing with all the usual pressures of her final year, but she begins dealing with a weird, nagging feeling that she's somehow different from her peers.
Before she knows it, she's investigating why she might feel this way and trying to figure out what she can attribute it to. But after one particularly weird incident, she starts questioning everything she thought she knew about herself.
Her journey for answers leads to a shocking revelation that I won't spoil here, but if you've seen enough sci-fi flicks, you can probably guess. With that life-changing discovery, it's understandable that Aisha is taken aback and trying to figure out what in the world to do next and where to go.
Suddenly, the world is a dangerous place. Aisha has to unravel all the secrets of her new identity and how she arrived at the answer. As she gets closer to the truth, she starts to ask the ultimate question: If you discover you aren't real, what part of you is left? You might start wondering about the details of your own life, too.
Why you should stream 'Don't Look Deeper’ on Prime Video
"Twilight" and "Thirteen" director Catherine Hardwicke takes what could have been a predictable sci-fi thriller and turns it into something (ironically) much more human with this ex-Quibi series transformed into a movie.
Originally made in short, bingeable chapters, the series moves at a breakneck pace. Hardwicke imbues the story with a sense of paranoia, where the threat isn't lurking in the shadows but is hidden in Aisha's actual body. Literally. And that's a fun subversion that you don't immediately see coming, even if the answers do rise up along the way.
There’s also a lot to love about the central performance from Howard, who perfectly captures the confusion and fear of someone whose entire reality is collapsing. You’re never quite sure who to trust, and that always makes for a fun ride in the realm of sci-fi.
Stream "Don't Look Deeper" on Prime Video
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