Open Your Eyes
(Abre Los Ojos)
***
Rated on a 4-star
scale
Screening venue: Cornerhouse (Manchester)
Released in the UK by Redbus on February 25, 2000; certificate 15; 119 minutes;
country of origin Spain; aspect ratio 1.85:1
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar;
produced by Fernando Bovaira, José Luis Cuerda. Written
by Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gill. Photographed by Hans
Burmann; edited by Maria Elena Sainz de Rozas.
CAST.....
Eduardo Noriega..... César
Penélope Cruz..... Sofía
Fele Martínez..... Pelayo
Chete Lera..... Antonio
Najwa Nimri..... Nuria
Gérard Barray..... Duvernois
Being tickled is horrible as well as enjoyable,
but worth it for that moment of relief when the tickler finally stops. Alejandro
Amenábar's "Open Your Eyes" is like that. The film involves
us in one man's private hell, as his life falls apart and his understanding
of why keeps lessening; but by the time it's over, and he gets an answer,
we're so glad to stop holding our breath we leave grinning.
It's hard to describe the film's premise without
spoiling any surprises. Eduardo Noriega plays César, who we first
meet in a high-security psychiatric facility, trying to convince a psychiatrist
that he is not guilty of whatever crime he's been accused of, and telling
the doctor all he remembers of recent months. César was a promiscuous
cad, we learn, who was involved in a car accident which left him horribly
disfigured and bitterly angry.
His vile temper strained his friendships with
best buddy Pelayo (Fele Martínez) and love interest Sofía
(Penélope Cruz), until, César remembers, plastic surgeons managed
to repair his face. His life started to get better, but then he suffered
memory loss, saw people's faces change into those of others, and experienced
various other weird happenings.
What was, and is, going on? Is César mad,
or is somebody playing an elaborate prank? Is anything real? And of what
significance is the cryptic Mr. Duvernois (Gérard Barray)? "Open Your
Eyes", originally titled "Abre Los Ojos", involves and entangles us with
these urgent questions until we demand an explanation. It's been quite
a while since I've seen a movie mystery, but this is clearly a good
one.
Amenábar, the director, occasionally takes
us inside César's dreams, but mostly relies on the screenplay's drama
to be surreal enough, shooting his picture without a lot of flashy tricks.
This is a good tactic, because it draws us in more realistically than a film
like "The Matrix", which was more fun for style than story.
The performances, too, walk the line between the
mundane and the strange. Noriega, Cruz, Martínez and Najwa Nimri speak
and carry themselves fast and slow, confidently and cautiously. It's odd,
and yet not odd, and certainly hard to describe... I guess it's intended
that way.
"Open Your Eyes" is better than "The Sixth Sense",
another recent film with an odd feel and surprise ending, which got great
reviews, huge revenues and six Oscar nominations. I thought that movie was
a con, purporting to be about one thing, making us wait for that thing's
payoff, then pulling a stupid trick out of its hat with the hope of dazzling
us. "Open Your Eyes", from very early on, takes unexpected turns, makes seemingly
impossible twists and draws us into a confusing puzzle. When we realise what
the score is, and everything slots into place, it's exactly what we've been
waiting for.
COPYRIGHT© 2000 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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