Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) (Permanent Midnight) (1997)
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 39 | Rotten: 7
Director Alejandro Amenábar tackles some heady issues with finesse and clarity in Open Your Eyes, a gripping exploration of existentialism and the human spirit.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 2
Director Alejandro Amenábar tackles some heady issues with finesse and clarity in Open Your Eyes, a gripping exploration of existentialism and the human spirit.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 37,301
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Movie Info
The line between dreams and reality become increasingly blurred after a womanizing playboy is nearly killed by a jilted lover in Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar's masterful sophomore effort Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). It would seem as if Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) has it all. Handsome, charming, and with money to burn, he can get any girl he wants, and usually does so on a nightly basis. Following a birthday party in which he chats up Sofia (Penelope Cruz), the date of his best friend
Apr 16, 1999 Wide
Dec 18, 2001
Artisan Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Eduardo Noriega
Cesar -
Penelope Cruz
Sofia -
Chete Lera
Antonio -
Fele Martínez
Pelayo -
Najwa Nimri
Nuria -
Gerard Barray
Man on TV
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All Critics (53) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (39) | Rotten (7) | DVD (8)
Even if the script (written by the director and Mateo Gil) and direction are patchy, the obsessive theme is gripping.
This is so smart, mischievous and stylish, you'll instantly want to see it again.
Top CriticIf you're the type who doesn't mind jigsaw puzzles unassembling themselves as you assemble them, if you enjoy enigmas and don't need explanations, the film just might work for you.
For adventurous filmgoers, though, this Spanish import offers something off the beaten path and a chance to play the coffee-shop game: Could This Screenplay Be Saved?
The cumbersome, fantastical plot twists of its last 40 minutes render the whole thing unfathomable.
Amenabar may drop the ball with a surprise happy ending, but the real shock is that when Cesar finally opens his eyes, you feel he's earned it.
If Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch had collaborated on a project, the result might have been something like Open Your Eyes."
The visually stunning product is no less absorbing and haunting, not to mention surprisingly moving.
Alejandro Amenabar announced himself in the category of the top level of directors working today.
Substantially better than its remake, 'Vanilla Sky'
The original of Vanilla Sky -- more subtle, but not as much fun.
See this far superior thriller instead of the lousy remake "Vanilla Sky."
Amenábar's virtuoso style and connection to the youth audience, both of which are resented by the Spanish film establishment, make him a plausible model outside Spain for a European cinema that bridges the gap between arthouse and mainstream.
Alejandro Amenabar's psychothriller is a dark dish Cruise and Crowe later turned to plain Vanilla.
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Foreign Titles
- Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) (DE)
- Open Your Eyes (UK)
