Brilliant, and almost sublime... a masterful work within the genre of psychological horror-thriller

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2006)

As I write this moments after the second viewing of the film, I can say without a doubt that this is one of those rare films that benefit greatly from being watched more than once by any viewer. Having been very interested in the work of director/writer/composer Alejandro Amenábar basically since I first knew of Abre Los Ojos, after watching the Americanized remake with Cameron Crowe at the helm(and much, much more upon actually watching some of his work), I made sure to watch this as soon as I could. I remember being gripped and never really looking away... and astoundingly, I had much the same reaction this time, as well. This time, I noticed all the little hints along the way... all leading towards the shocking and intelligent twist. Anyone who hasn't seen this, I urge you to avoid hearing what it is, and make sure not to read neither the quotes nor the keywords for the film. And yes, it is somewhat similar to another popular movie(which I haven't and don't intend to see), but a movie doesn't have to be 100% original to be excellent. The plot is incredibly well-written, and it develops exactly as it should. The pacing is perfect. You're never bored and the film never hurries to get where it's going. The acting is flawless, quite simply. As far as Kidman and the other adults go, this is no major surprise, but the children... they are quite simply among a far too small group of extraordinarily talented young actors. The cinematography is breathtaking. The editing is masterful. Something that simply must be mentioned is the lighting... the way it almost becomes a character itself, the way it affects everything else, the way it is played with throughout the film. Explaining the lighting as well as the general isolation is the fact that the two children suffer from a tragic illness... they cannot survive sunlight. What is amazing that throughout the course of the film, you get used to this... the darkness, the thick atmosphere; it becomes every-day life. Near the end, you find yourself fearing the sun... the bright light. Featuring no real gore, blood or violence, the horror is all psychological. The atmosphere and the light(or lack thereof) creates a lot of tension and suspense... and all of it pays off so well. There are no false scares, nothing gratuitous and the whole film is very close to being sublime. Now, to the real problem with this film, at least my problem with it... it's simply not as open as the other works of Alejandro. It's more Hollywood, easier to take in. Instead of challenging you to think, of providing food for thought, questions as opposed to answers(as Amenábar himself has commented that his films are about)... it reveals everything at the end. It leaves little, if anything, up to the viewer to decide or debate. All is explained... the very thing that ruined what potential the remake of his film, Abre Los Ojos. I understand trying to open up to a wider audience, but it's a little sad that he has to make a compromise with his integrity and goals in doing so. With that said, however, this is still not the average Hollywood flick; there is still nothing in the film that is entirely superfluous, and almost every frame of it is perfection, pure and simple. I recommend this to any fan of Alejandro Amenábar, any of the actors and psychological horror/mystery-thrillers. 8/10