Half-hearted angst

Disturbia fails as a social critique of the suburbs | John Dawson

When Kale Brecht's mother disconnects the 17-year-old's iTunes, Xbox Live, and cable television, the teen is left only to stare out the windows of his suburban home, trying to make sense of the idiosyncrasies of what he calls "Disturbia" (also the film's name, rated PG-13 for language, violence, and sensual imagery). Kale is living for three months under house arrest as a consequence of assaulting his Spanish teacher.

And although his electronic ankle bracelet keeps him tethered to within yards of his own house, Kale (Shia LaBeouf) learns that through careful observation with binoculars he can voyeuristically enter into the lives of his quiet neighbors. For one thing, Kale discovers a bikini-clad blond high-school girl living next door (Sarah Roemer) who likes to take long swims. Since Disturbia is geared toward teens, the two fall in love. But since Disturbia also works as a horror/suspense film, his other next-door neighbor turns out to be a serial killer.