Julia's Eyes

No Official Website but you can find out more at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512685/

Julia's Eyes is not the most typical of film choices for me. Firstly because I'd never heard of it, and secondly because I'd never heard of any of the actors involved. But after experiencing the happy surprise of Attack The Block, a film I really didn't want to see, I thought 'why not'? I watched the trailer and found the idea quite intriguing and so decided to give it a shot.

The film opens with the shocking murder of a blind woman, Sara (Belen Rueda). Unfortunately for her, the murder is carried out in such a way as to imply she committed suicide. Her twin sister Julia (also played by Belen Rueda), thinks something is amiss and starts to investigate the mysterious end to her sisters life. She starts by attempting to discover the identity of a man who was spending a lot of time with her sister, though strangely, nobody seems to have seen him. All of this is made increasingly difficult by the degeneration of Julia's sight, as she has the same disorder as her sister and starts to go blind from the stress of the situation.  

Julia's Eyes was made in Spain and has English subtitles but don't let that put you off. This was a sharply directed film, especially considering the amount of scenes that are kept to the shadows. I particularly loved the final scene, which is  filmed in almost complete darkness, but which is lit by a camera flash which goes off every couple of seconds. Very clever and very eerie as you don't know what you'll see the next time the flash goes off. 

My only problem with the film was the number of plot twists in the final 30 minutes. The film makers were clearly trying to throw the audience off the scent of the killer, but I found it confused matters more than was necessary. 

This is a complex thriller which will keep you hooked until the credits roll. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 20th May 2011

UK Release Date - 20th May 2011

Cast Overview:

Belen Rueda ~ Julia/Sara

Lluis Homar ~ Isaac

Pablo Derqui ~ Ivan

Francesc Orella ~ Inspector Dimas

Director ~ Guillem Morales 

Writer(s) ~ Guillem Morales and Orioi Paulo