Open Your Eyes

César has been left rich by his restaurant owning parents. When he meets the beautiful Sofia at a party he uses her as a way to escape his jealous ex Nuria. After a night of talking with Sofia, César is picked up by Nuria who crashes her car deliberately killing her and horribly disfiguring him. With surgery limited as to what it can achieve César despairs at his loss (his looks, not Nuria) and tries to pick up with Sofia. However when surgery returns his looks he thinks everything is solved – but his dreams become more vivid blurring his sense of reality. He tells his fragmented story to a physiatrist in a mental institution/prison where he waits trail for murder.

Suddenly this little beauty is being sought out – even if Vanilla Sky is mixed, at least it put the original on the bigger stage. The story is magnificently set out – it builds slowly and you never know the full story – even the ending requires you to catch up really quickly. Not knowing what's going on at some points may frustrate some audiences, but it just drives this film on. It is a little far fetched at points but it's handled so well that you don't mind. The story is laced with emotion and passion – the ending is moving for so many reasons that I won't spoil.

Director Amenádar delivers a visually great film – he uses the dream sequences well and regularly contrasts the beauty and the twisted face of César. He delivers a story that is stylish and clever, using his cast to spin out a human drama before launching into the realm of science fiction.

Noriega is great as the conceited César – his character and his fate can both be taken as comments on vanity and the importance of image – and he is more than able to handle all the sides to his character. Cruz is good here too – she is quite attractive and plays well in a smallish role. The most underrated performance is given by the physiatrist – his role becomes bigger at the end and he handles the complexities thrust upon his character well.

Overall this is a superb film that mixes a clever plot, good acting, a great script and stylish direction. It may lose some of it's impact once you know the full story and it should be enjoyed as freshly as possible – but it will stand repeat viewings to get the full picture.