If you liked films such as One Hour Photo or The Eye – the 2002 Japanese original as opposed to the 2008 remake – Julia's Eyes will hit similar notes that made those films interesting. Like the Pang Brothers The Eye, there are similar themes running through Julia's Eyes in which the idea of using vision and blindness is used as a tool for creating horror. At the very start of the film Julia seems to have a sort of telepathic connection with her twin sister Sara, as when something terrible happens to Sara, Julia is somehow aware of her pain. From here we learn that Julia's sister suffers from a degenerative eye condition and that being twins Julia also suffers from the same condition, albeit seemingly milder than Sara.
Due to the strange passing of her sister, Julia is convinced something is up – the strange playing of Dusty Springfield's The Look of Love echoes out in Sara's house reminiscent of the use of Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit to maddening effect in The Game – and attempts to piece together the puzzle of why or how Sara died. Julia's condition though is at risk of worsening if she is put under any stress and quickly we become aware that Julia is very much impeded by her lack of vision. Throughout the film there is smart use of Julia's visual perspective and how a darkness is spreading across her eyes. From this point the audience are put in her shoes, you share her dread and begin to feel her disorientation.
There are also ideas about the fear of abandonment and the terror of being left alone. Hardly the thoughts we like to harvest, but perfect for getting the brain ticking over and making the palms sweat. Guillem Morales certainly handles all these elements well and exudes a visual style that should be acknowledged. But where Julia's Eyes stumbles is in the script, which appeared to be at times incomplete. Too many characters become involved in what is a fairly simple horror-thriller. Whether they were added as misdirection in order to add to the mystery of Julia's search for an "invisible man" is of no consequence as they become mildly distracting.
When Julia's Eyes is dealing head on with the "invisible man", the film maintains its creepiness. In fact, the film craftily lifts a visual motif from David Fincher's Zodiac when dealing with ambiguous characters. A number of characters are hidden behind a shroud of darkness and look as if they are hiding in the shadows just out of reach of the audience. Every shot is cleverly choreographed as their identity is obscured, taunting and teasing us as we watch. In this respect Julia's Eyes is a constant success. When the film enters the last quarter there are clear references to the likes of classic horror pictures such as the ever-disturbing Misery, further emphasising that you be sure of whom exactly you're letting into your home in the future.
One suspects however that without the involvement of Belen Rueda in the lead role the film would droop in the parts when the script fails to hold together. Rueda turns in another excellent performance to the add to the one in The Orphanage and if she continues in this vain could further establish herself as a cult horror actress. Other faces such as Lluis Hormar will be familiar to those who have seen Almodovar's Broken Embraces, while the rest of the cast are solid, if not spectacular.
Guillermo Del Toro's name on the title as a producer – as he had done with The Orphanage – should hopefully attract a crowd to Julia's Eyes and one suspects they won't leave disappointed. If there are to be any complaints it may be a result of how conventional Julia's Eyes turns out to be, which is a shame after the early promise the film exudes. But, if Guillermo Del Toro continues nurturing talented filmmakers in the direction that The Orphanage and Julia's Eyes have embarked on, the future could be bright for horror cinema.
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