Guillermo del Toro has an exceptional eye for new talent and his latest film as producer, Julia’s Eyes, directed by Spanish newcomer Guillem Morales, will terrify audiences.
Julia has a degenerative disease and will eventually go blind. Her twin sister struggled with the same illness until she apparently committed suicide. Julia, however, remains unconvinced and investigates the true cause of her sister’s death. Convinced that she is being watched but unable to see her observer the audience is left wondering if it’s all due to her failing eyesight or is she only imagining things?
Julia undergoes a surgical procedure to save her eyesight and is forced to wear a bandage over her eyes for two weeks. She becomes convinced that the man who she believes killed her sister is entering her house at night. The tension ratchets up as Julia struggles with her fear of sightlessness and becomes increasingly isolated from everyone around her.
Morales’s use of the horror genre to frame a woman coming to terms with the onset of blindness is achieved through precise camerawork that augments the suspenseful atmosphere. There is nothing more frightening than an invisible predator and nothing more terrible than not being able to perceive those around you.
Diana Sanchez, Toronto International Film Festival
Presented with support from Instituto Cervantes Dublin
