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Julia's Eyes (2011)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

9 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Reuniting three of the creative forces behind ‘The Orphanage’ – executive producer Guillermo del Toro, lead actress Belén Rueda and production company Rodar y Rodar – director/ co-writer Guillem Morales’s thriller aims for intricate, Hitchcockian suspense, embellished with ornate visual flourishes that recall Dario Argento’s early giallo movies.

After Julia (Rueda) and her husband, Isaac (Lluís Homar), find her twin sister hanged in her basement, the official verdict is that Sara (Rueda again) killed herself because she was depressed about her failing sight. However, Julia, who suffers from the same degenerative eye disease, is convinced that her sister was either killed or driven to take her own life. Her investigations reveal a secret life involving a seemingly invisible boyfriend: ‘You know, some people you just don’t see,’ says a waiter at a hotel where Sara and the mystery man enjoyed an illicit tryst.

But like the figures at the periphery of Julia’s vision, the crucial details remain blurred and indistinct. Forcing us to share Julia’s narrowing field of view, Morales’s elaborately staged set-pieces, the script’s forensic attention to detail and Rueda’s emotionally charged acting focus the mind and grip the imagination. Then, suddenly, all semblance of credibility vanishes in a frenzy of fuzzy logic and melodramatic contrivance. Why, for example, would Julia – blindfolded after an operation – move back into her murdered sister’s house, where she fears the killer may be watching? The set-up is clear and convincing; the denouement leaves one squinting in disbelief.

Author: Nigel Floyd

Time Out London Issue 2126: 19 – 26 May, 2011

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User reviews of this film

Bradley said...

Posted on Feb 27 2012 20:06 Personally I'm shocked this got some one * reviews. Movie snobs I think. Yes you could pick a few holes. The reason she keeps on the bandage after the operation is CLEARLY explained. If she removed the bandage too soon the transplant would be in vain. All in all I was on the edge of my seat. There are always going to be kill joys who pick apart movies. I beg you to watch and make your own mind up.

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unconvinced filmgoer said...

Posted on Jun 03 2011 00:07 I agree, I didn't think this was a horror, and I quite enjoyed it, but it was pretty silly. I thought the blind women scene was a bit offensive, actually, but I liked the way the final section was shot, where because she can't see people's faces, we can't either. But, yes, overall a bit daft and a bit disappointing.

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Ros said...

Posted on May 31 2011 20:51 Genuinely, I think this is one of the worst films I've seen in a long time, Contrived, cliched and predictable, the 'shocks' are so clearly signposted that it was laughable. In fact, I kept bursting out laughing at the silliness of it all - and I certainly wasn't the only one in the cinema doing so. A huge disappointment.

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Lee said...

Posted on May 30 2011 13:51 Not having seen the Orphanage - but having read reviews praising it to the hilt - I was intrigued to see if this film was a close to being worthy of such heights. IT is not!! As 'Archgate 21.05.11' comments, "This is quite a stodgy affair dressed up as something clever". There are overtures to an Oedipus complex that work to an extent. However, with a central character that you could quite easily slap for continually doing what she is asked not to, the plot is forced into existence rather than having a natural flow that allows the viewer to be swept along. It is wholly contrived!! That said, it is still a reasonable film when all is said and done. Rather than horror, more along the lines of a thriller with bits thrown in to create the occasional squeamish episode.

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jay said...

Posted on May 29 2011 16:05 In my opinion this is not horror, it is a thriller and a damn good one. Starts off a bit slow but once it gets going it is worth it.

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critique said...

Posted on May 25 2011 15:45 Twisty-turny horror thriller, replete with melodrama, implausibilities and genuine thrills. Rueda is very watchable.

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ed said...

Posted on May 25 2011 10:54 **SPOILERS** below
A pretty average horror flick elevated by an excellent central performance and some very very nice visual / sound devices. Although the preface would've done better to put the audience on an unsure foot as to whether or not that "stalker" was real or imagined. The events that follow may have had more impact. Instead we are lead down a firmer path and know exactly where our loyalties lie. I enjoyed the concept of "invisible" people that refelct light. Moments when the "stalker" was one step ahead of the lights flickering on druing the chase / the locker room scene with the glimpsed blakc glove at the door / the man stood under a bare lamp still in shadow... all great devices. But yes, logis tripped this story up at every turn. OK, so it's only a horror but this one treats us like we've never seen this type of thing before.... A misstep after the heights of THE ORPHANAGE and Guillermo Del Toro's Spanish set trilogy...

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Paul said...

Posted on May 22 2011 10:08 Don't be put off, you will have a great night out with this tense psycho drama. There are a few awkward moments, but it does tell a gripping tale that I enjoyed and kept me on the edge of my chair. Belén Rueda deserves recognition for her fantastic performance. A must see if you enjoy being suspense with a difference

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ARCHGATE said...

Posted on May 21 2011 23:47 A tale of woe nowhere near as richly observed as The Orphanage. This is quite a stodgy affair dressed up as something clever. The obvious use of scary music works up to a point but overall it's a miserable experience without even the slightest nod to it's own daftness. The last 20 minutes almost payoff.... but not quite.

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