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Open Your Eyes
Abre los ojos
1997 117 min Spain, France, Italy R 18+
★7.8
Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Handsome 25-year-old Cesar had it all -- a successful career, expensive cars, a swank bachelor's pad, and an endless string of beautiful and willing women -- until he is thrown into a strange psychological mystery after a car accident scars his face and lands him in prison.
Budget:
$2.9M
US Gross:
$370,720
Worldwide:
$370,720
Starring
Eduardo Noriega
Actor
Penélope Cruz
Actor
Chete Lera
Actor
Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 1998
— CICAE Award – Honorable Mention (Panorama)
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Actor
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Picture
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Director
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Sound
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Film Editing
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Visual Effects
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Original Screenplay
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Production Design
Goya Awards 1999
— Best Production Management
Key opinion
Abre los ojos is widely regarded as an atmospheric and intellectually stimulating psychological thriller that effectively blurs the lines between reality and dreams. While most viewers praise its original vision and depth compared to its Hollywood remake, a minority find its pacing sluggish and the narrative structure overly demanding.
| Acting | The cast delivers strong, compelling performances that anchor the surreal narrative, with Eduardo Noriega’s portrayal of the protagonist widely praised for its complexity. | |
| Direction | Alejandro Amenábar’s direction successfully creates a disorienting, dreamlike tone that captures a distinct Iberian sense of dread and existential questioning. | |
| Adaptation | The film is frequently cited as superior to the Hollywood remake, Vanilla Sky, for being more authorial, authentic, and emotionally resonant. | |
| Screenplay | The complex, circular plot rewards viewers who appreciate the intellectual challenge of untangling reality from illusion, though some viewers find it over-engineered or confusing. | |
| Pacing | The three-hour-adjacent, contemplative tempo divides the audience, with some appreciating the slow-burn immersion while others find the film sluggish and unnecessarily repetitive. |