I Came By (2022)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Graffiti Squidge

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The Iranian-British Babak Anvari — whose excellent chiller Under the Shadow (2016) is also available on Netflix — returns with this English-language nailbiter, a portrait of pure evil hiding in the guise of a confident, powerful, intelligent human. I Came By begins, deceptively, with the story of two graffiti artists, Toby (George MacKay) and Jay (Percelle Ascott), whose métier involves breaking into the homes of the wealthy and powerful and tagging the walls with "I Came By," an alarming wake-up call, and a lesson that even the sturdiest strongholds can be invaded. As they prepare for their latest job, Jay learns that his girlfriend (Varada Sethu) is pregnant, and decides to quit the life. Toby goes it alone, breaking into the house of a beloved judge, Hector Blake (Hugh Bonneville). But everything goes south when he finds something disturbing in the basement. The movie never quite goes where it seems to be pointed, eventually turning into a tense procedural; we watch as puzzle pieces almost fall into place, and then are cruelly swatted away. Kelly Macdonald co-stars as Toby's mother.