David O'ConnellJulia's Eyes
June 9th 2011 03:01
Director Guillem Morales had only a single feature to his name, 2004’s The Uncertain Guest, but influential master of the macabre Guillermo Del Toro must have seen something he liked in the young Spaniard to have his name attached to Morales’s new film, Julia’s Eyes. It’s not difficult to see the attraction for this is a stylish, if derivative, psychological thriller. At times tense and threatening to veer into supernatural terrain it proves to be more conventional in the way its revelations unravel. However it’s a thoroughly enjoyable funhouse ride for much of its length. A slew of strong contributions on the technical side help immeasurably too whilst the acting is generally first rate.
Julia (Belen Rueda) suffers from the same degenerative eye disease as her sister Sara (also Rueda) who has been found dead in her spooky old house, to all appearances having committed suicide by hanging. Though the officials maintain this official line, Julia is not convinced and begins snooping to uncover a possible murder plot, much to the chagrin of her husband Isaac (Lluis Homar).
Julia’s Eyes wears its influences with little shame; the film’s second half seems an overt homage to Terence Young's Wait Until Dark (1967) with sight deprivation leading to tense, imperilled fumbling for safety through a sightless maze in which the other senses become heightened. The slasher film mentality is skilfully adapted by Morales though not without plenty of clever touches, particularly in visual terms, which is where the production really shines.
Some of the lighting effects - contrasting the darkness with heavy emphasis on what remains concealed within the frame - are beautifully wrought by cinematographer Oscar Faura. The tension remains vague but palpable enough that we remain riveted by Julia’s plight.
Rueda, who also anchored the brilliant The Orphanage, is in similar form here. She again exhibits a remarkable capacity to convincingly portray characteristics of strength and vulnerability. The support players are solid but under the auspices of Morales’ slick direction, which includes cleverly distorted point-of-view shots that reflect the failing range of Julia’s eyesight, the film rises above more recent stock standard genre entries.
Julia's Eyes (2010) is a classy, engaging psycho chiller from beginning to end; implausible and throwaway perhaps, but taut in its execution and ridiculously entertaining. Adding further to the tension is the excellent score by Fernando Velazquez who, like Faura, also worked his magic on The Orphanage (2008) as well as recent American horror film, Devil (2010).
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