Language: Spanish
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Writer: Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil
Cast : Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, Chete Lera
Genre: Drama | Mystery
Also Known as : Abre los ojos (original title)
Remade into Vanilla Sky (2001)
DISCLAIMERS:
1) The movie is intended for Mature audiences and not recommended for kids.
2) If you have belief in me as a writer or a person who gives amazing film recommendations and haven’t seen Vanilla Sky, then go for this film blindly. It makes the most impact that way. Don’t watch the trailer, don’t read further and thank me later. Read the review after you have seen the film.
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Have you heard of Master Zhuang’s paradox?
‘I dreamt I was a butterfly. Now I’ve woken up and I no longer know if I’m a person who dreamed he’s a butterfly or if I’m a butterfly who’s dreaming it’s a person.’
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Open your Eyes tells the story of a rich and handsome playboy, César ( Eduardo Noriega). He has a casual relationship with Nuria ( Najwa Nimri ), for whom the relationship isn’t that casual. Pelayo (Fele Martinez) is Antonio’s best friend and both spend a lot of time together playing tennis, going to parties and so on. The movie tells us what happens to César after suffering an accident on that fateful day. The characters are well written, the concept of the movie, it’s execution and how the story is narrated is just simply brilliant. Not delving more about the movie, just watch it and let me know. If you have seen this beauty of the film, do let your views heard in the discussion/comments section below. Adios.
Personal Note: Abre los ojos a.k.a Open your Eyes was among the first 10 foreign films I probably watched. My memories have faded as now I have watched around 100+ foreign movies in 10+ languages and I watched Open your Eyes around 2013. I still remember the movie fondly and movies like Oldboy, Open Your Eyes opened ‘my eyes’ to foreign movies that are much better than the mainstream Hollywood and Foreign Movies. This must be, cause of the lack/relaxation of censorship in the arts and movies in foreign countries.
Verdict: 6/7 Stars.
Brilliant.
Trivia:
Tom Cruise said that he was on his mobile phone trying to buy the remake rights during the end credits the first time he saw the film.
Alejandro Amenábar imagined the script after having horrible nightmares while ill with the flu.
When César (Eduardo Noriega) goes to Sofia (Penélope Cruz)’s apartment and starts to rip down her photos on the wall, there is a The song playing at the nightclub when César first arrives is “Rising Son” by Massive Attack, in which the phrase “dream on” is frequently repeated.
Included among the “1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die”, edited by Steven Schneider.
