Dreams, lucid or otherwise, make for darn interesting films, and the Spanish tech-noir (if it can really be qualified as one) Open Your Eyes sure remains a pretty good elucidation of that. This oddly compelling movie, boasting of a highly ingenious plot, is about Cesar (Eduardo Noriega), a young, handsome and insanely rich playboy whose life could very well form the dictionary definition for hedonism. However two incidents, in rapid succession drastically change his life – he finds himself falling for Sofia (Panelope Cruz), the pretty and charming date of his best friend, despite having just met her, and soon after that he meets with a debilitating car crash thanks to a jealous former lover of his that leaves his face horribly scarred. But then, are these all for real, or are they simply the figments of his imagination? Revealing anything more of the unpredictable storyline would be criminal on my front, so let me resist the temptation for doing so. Suffice it to say, this is a topsy-turvy ride and quite an interesting concoction of psychological drama, romance, mystery and science-fiction. Okay, the film isn’t the masterpiece that its fans have made it out to be – the acting is just about average, some of the plot twists could have been better dealt with, the psychological interplay between the protagonist and his friend ought to have been delved more deeply into, among others. But, that said, there’s no denying the fact this is one hell of an entertaining and engaging ride that deserves a watch – if not for anything, at least for the wildly original idea it has been based on. The film got an American remake in the form of Vanilla Sky which I plan to revisit and review sometime soon.
Director: Alejandro Amenabar
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Sci-Fi/Romance/Mystery/Fantasy
Language: Spanish
Country: Spain
4 comments:
I loved Vanilla Sky, so maybe I should watch Open Your Eyes. Though without Cameron Crowe's soundtrack I just can't see it being better.
I'd watched Vanilla Sky long back, and I suddenly felt the urge of watching the Spanish original. I guess I need to go back to Vanilla Sky once again in order to draw a proper comparison.
I have seen both and I think the hollywood remake is a lousy one,only the opening sequence is quite impressive.
Most people I know who've watched both dismiss the American remake. But, as I mentioned I'd watched Vanilla Sky a very long time back - guess I need to revisit it soon.
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