Vague Visages’ I’ve Seen All I Need to See review contains minor spoilers. Zeshaan Younus’ 2025 movie on Amazon features Renee Gagner, Rosie McDonald and Sydney McCarthy. Check out the VV home page for more film criticism, movie reviews and film essays.

Zeshaan Younus knows a thing or two about isolation cinema. The American filmmaker’s first feature, The Buildout (2024), is one of the more impressive debut movies that I’ve seen this year, and his second release, I’ve Seen All I Need to See, marks a significant leap forward in his career. Both productions focus on female relationships, and how environmental factors can manipulate the mind. With I’ve Seen All I Need to See, Younus shifts his location from a desert to a small California town, where the protagonist, Parker (Renee Gagner), grieves the death of her troubled sister, Indiana (Rosie McDonald). Once again, the camera functions as a character, with the writer-director relying on a series of symbolic shots about the desolation creeping up on both leads. If The Buildout is somewhat cryptic with its messaging, Younus takes a more straightforward approach with I’ve Seen All I Need to See, albeit via dual timelines, ethereal visuals and poetic dialogue.

The premise: Parker, an actress, auditions for a role and then learns about the murder of her sister, Indiana. She decides to return home and quite literally wears her sibling’s clothes. Meanwhile, Indiana appears in flashback sequences, in which she explains her hopes and fears through a voicemail recording. For Parker, she wants to reconnect with her late sister by visiting her favorite bar and sleeping in her bed. Over time, the same sense of despair that led to Indiana’s demise slowly consumes Parker, and this idea is expressed visually through various two-shots in a car, with the camera functioning as a haunting presence. And even in the film’s most dramatic scene, where Indiana and a friend find trouble during a drug deal, Younus shoots the characters from behind. When Parker receives bad news, Younus executes one of the most jarring transition shots that I’ve seen this decade (shout-out to editor Matt Latham).

I’ve Seen All I Need to See Review: Related — Review: Jimmy Warden’s ‘Borderline’

I’ve Seen All I Need to See isn’t a murder mystery that offers traditional closure. Instead, Younus asks viewers to consider the emotional unstability that comes from suddenly losing a family member. Shortly before Indiana passes away, she describes the morning as “the illusion of safety,” and also states that she’s doing everything she can to “touch the abyss.” Younus’ dialogue becomes a little flowery at times in I’ve Seen All I Need to See, though the filmmaker stays consistent with his overall balance and spiritual themes, much like he does in The Buildout. For every poetic line of dialogue from Indiana, there’s a shot of Parker diving deeper and deeper into her sister’s dangerous lifestyle. There’s an obvious physical decline, and the lead acress Gagner also communicates a spiritual theft, evidenced by the protagonist’s empty eyes and directionless demeanor. More than once, I was reminded of Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 classic Persona; a film about identity and two women who seemingly merge together. Younus seems interested in dark energy that can at once destroy a person and inspire a life-changing epiphany. In I’ve Seen All I Need to See, a first act audition monologue about a “finger fuck” aligns with the beach sex monologue of Bibi Andersson’s Alma in Persona. And by the final act in Younus’ second feature, a stylized shot of Parker and Indiana parallels some of the most iconic visuals in Bergman’s aforementioned film.

I’ve Seen All I Need to See Review: Related — Review: Racheal Cain’s ‘Somnium’

The title graphic appears at the 32-minute mark in I’ve Seen All I Need to See, which is the sign of a director in command of his craft. As for the acting, the leads mostly react to their environment and move/speak naturally as shit hits the fan. And supporting actress Sydney McCarthy stands out in a minor role as June with her on-screen charisma and star quality; a strong candidate to headline Younus’ next feature. A film like I’ve Seen All I Need to See could easily be interpreted as a Debbie Downer for casual moviegoers, given the film’s seemingly dark themes, but it’s the main protagonist’s pain and suffering, along with Younus’ handling of the human condition, that makes the final act and conclusion so relatable, bittersweet and effective.

I’ve Seen All I Need to See won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the 2025 Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor. Thank you for reading film criticism, movie reviews and film essays at Vague Visages.

I’ve Seen All I Need to See Review: Related — Review: Kaveh Daneshmand’s ‘Endless Summer Syndrome’