‘Rear Window’

‘Rear Window’ is so on the nose as an allegory for our current moment that the White Cube gallery has curated a whole online exhibition tied to the film’s themes. Put on your digital binoculars to explore this viewing room, where you’ll find Celia Hempton’s graphic paintings of the strangers she met on Chatrandom and the ‘Kitchen Table’ photostory by Carrie Mae Weems. It’s all about ‘slow’ looking, to interrogate the  dangers of our gaze. LB Jefferies, the lead in Hitchcock’s voyeuristic thriller, wasn’t always such a relatable protagonist. But who can honestly say they haven’t lost a self-isolation day to staring out the window, waiting for some drama to unfold? Thanks to the collective broken leg that is 2020, we have all reckoned with our inner Jefferies, and it isn’t pretty.