Julia鈥檚 Eyes
Guillem Morales
Optimum
If the psychological thriller is your genre of choice, you鈥檒l be wanting to add Julia鈥檚 Eyes to your collection. Dark and genuinely disturbing, it鈥檚 also as classy and captivating as you鈥檇 expect from a film produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pan鈥檚 Labyrinth).
Julia (Bel茅n Rueda) suffers from a degenerative eye disease which will ultimately result in blindness. When she discovers her sister 鈥 another sufferer 鈥 dead, it鈥檚 a race against time to prove she didn鈥檛 commit suicide and discover what really happened. As Julia鈥檚 sight gradually begins to fail, clever 鈥減oint-of-view鈥 shooting shows us the world literally through her eyes, and every so often we catch an ominous glimpse of someone lurking in the shadows.
The sense of threat is palpable throughout, and much of this is due to a superb central performance from Rueda. Previously seen in a similarly tormented role in The Orphanage, she鈥檚 the best actress you鈥檝e probably never heard of, and does an excellent line in vulnerability. You鈥檒l find it uncomfortable at times, but that鈥檚 exactly what makes it effective, and unmissable.
Grace Henderson