Open Your Eyes
1997 ‘Abre los ojos’ Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Synopsis
A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.
Cast
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Recommended by Richard Trondsen & Javier. Am very glad I finally watched it. A year or two ago I finally watched Vanilla Sky and although I feel that film is decent, it doesn't hold a candle to this one, the original. For one thing I felt Vanilla Sky didn't really explain what was happening as well and for another this one gets the mood right. An excellent Spanish film!
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Part of: "Summer 2013 Vol. 1"
OPEN YOUR EYES is basically a film about dreams. if you've ever had one of those dreams that felt so realistic that when you woke up from it, you still felt like you were in it. Alejandro Amenábar film opens with that notion, setting the entire course for what we the audience will discover, as well as the main character. The film opens twice, we are introduced to Cesar, he wakes, showers and gets in his car, but something is drastically different about this day. He is the only person in the entire city, thus, the alarm on his clock goes off again, it was jut a dream the same one he's been having…
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A film so crazy and yet so focused in its own descent into madness. Starts as a romantic comedy, develops into an introspective human drama, then it goes to the thriller genre, meeting a bizarre sci-fi horror, that ends up being more confrontative than the imagined. It sound like mess, I know, but director Alejandro Amenabar (also writer of the screenplay) centers the film in the characters; they are three dimensional, complex, rich in background and in behavior, and the actors in charge to play them are grounded and subtle. The crazy plot that unravels slowly into the film is only there to entertain you and fuck with your mind. And hell if it does. But once it finishes, you're not thinking about the plot twists, you're thinking about the characters' lives, the zillion of possibilities in their future, and the huge enigma behind them.
Amazing. I'm shocked there isn't a Hollywood remake yet. Oh wait... -
"¿Qué es para ti la felicidad?" - La felicidad es encontrar la película original de un cineasta Chileno-Español a través de un no-muy-bueno (según mi opinión) remake Hollywoodense "Vanilla Sky".
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Good movie. But for my money "Vanilla Sky," the American remake with Tom Cruise is actually a better film.
Both versions are worth watching for Penelope Cruz.
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The original "Vanilla Sky." A mind-bending head trip of a film that will stick with you long after you watch it.
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Interesting pychological thriller. Started to lose me towards the end but explained itself nicely
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Matrix?
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Part of: "Summer 2013 Vol. 1"
OPEN YOUR EYES is basically a film about dreams. if you've ever had one of those dreams that felt so realistic that when you woke up from it, you still felt like you were in it. Alejandro Amenábar film opens with that notion, setting the entire course for what we the audience will discover, as well as the main character. The film opens twice, we are introduced to Cesar, he wakes, showers and gets in his car, but something is drastically different about this day. He is the only person in the entire city, thus, the alarm on his clock goes off again, it was jut a dream the same one he's been having…
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I watched the remake of this last year. Since they are pretty similar, I'd heard that whichever one I watched first would probably be the one I liked more. That is definitely the case here. Watching the story unfold this second time was not quite as wonderful for me, and the performances didn't capture me as much. It's tempting for me to downplay it because it wasn't *transcendant* the way Vanilla Sky was for me, but it was still a really excellent movie. The story is fascinating, the acting is good, and the ending is really interesting to watch.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Open Your Eyes > Minority Report
Open Your Eyes > Zoolander
Open Your Eyes < Pan's Labyrinth
Open Your… -
Better than 'Vanilla Sky'.
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Watching this movie not knowing it's the same story like vanilla sky is hell. The first 10 minutes I was wondering, if I've seen it before. But I couldn't match the actors.
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A film so crazy and yet so focused in its own descent into madness. Starts as a romantic comedy, develops into an introspective human drama, then it goes to the thriller genre, meeting a bizarre sci-fi horror, that ends up being more confrontative than the imagined. It sound like mess, I know, but director Alejandro Amenabar (also writer of the screenplay) centers the film in the characters; they are three dimensional, complex, rich in background and in behavior, and the actors in charge to play them are grounded and subtle. The crazy plot that unravels slowly into the film is only there to entertain you and fuck with your mind. And hell if it does. But once it finishes, you're not thinking about the plot twists, you're thinking about the characters' lives, the zillion of possibilities in their future, and the huge enigma behind them.
Amazing. I'm shocked there isn't a Hollywood remake yet. Oh wait... -
What can go wrong to a person who has it all. The past deeds done can come back to haunt him. A gripping story of love, morality of living, guilt and realization. And it has Penelope Cruz too. A Great watch.