Friday, May 27, 2011

Julia's Eyes (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)
Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Guillem Morales
Starring: Belén Rueda, Lluís Homar, Julia Gutiérrez Caba
Duration: 112 min.
Rating: 6.3

Summary:
The story of a woman suffering from a degenerative eye disease who investigates the mysterious death of her twin sister.



Julia's Eyes is a horror/thriller from Spanish director Guillem Morales.  It was produced by Guillerm del Toro, stars Belén Rueda from The Orphanage (2007) and is shot by Óscar Faura who also worked on said film, so all the pieces were there for another great Spanish horror film.

It is very stylish, and is cleverly shot using many tricks of suspense and misdirection found in classic Giallo films.  The camera work is definitely the highlight of the film.  There are some cool and creepy sets and locations, revealing the director's preference for dark and scary basements.  The acting is also fairly good, Belén Rueda performs convincingly and the supporting cast does well enough for a genre film, not outstanding but not terrible either.

It's the story that prevents this one from greatness.  After a well set up first act, the narrative starts to meander and fails to really captivate in the second act, then seems to drag on to a less than satisfying finale.  Overall, it's not a complete failure, but Julia's Eyes fails to live up to the potential of both its premise and its talented creative team.

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)

Julia's Eyes / Los ojos de Julia (2010)
 

13 comments:

Hermann Rorschach said...

This looks worth it.   The del Toro name carries weight.

Tim B. said...

I'm a fan of del Toro's work, so I am a bit surprised I haven't heard of this before. I'll watch it because his name is attached, but I think his lack of directing might have caused it to be less then ideal.

The Reel Foto said...

Eye will see it. :D

The Angry Lurker said...

May watch it but I don't know if I will now, you may have saved me from it.

Nebular said...

I found it stylish, atmospheric and incredibly gripping. Just loved it!

shutterbug said...

I'm intrigued. I might have to hunt this movie down and watch it!

Speedy Ed said...

Ooohhh I think I will still have to give this movie a watch, really looks like my kind of movie :P thanks for the review though !

Justin porter said...

Looks pretty high budget.   I love foreign films, thanks!
 

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I agree it was stylish and atmospheric, but the further it went I just found myself losing more and more interest in the story

Bonjour Tristesse said...

You are welcome.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah It is definitely well produced.

Adalmin said...

Looks a little Twin Peaks mixed with The Eye. I am also very excited about Del Toro's new movie! (Are You Afraid of the Dark?)

thenitefalls said...

I been looking for a good horror film! I'm going to check it out :D

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