Open Your Eyes (1997)

A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

Stars:

Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, Chete Lera

6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eduardo Noriega	...	César
Penélope Cruz	...	Sofía
Chete Lera	...	Antonio
Fele Martínez	...	Pelayo
Najwa Nimri	...	Nuria
Gérard Barray	...	Duvernois
Jorge de Juan	...	Encargado L.E.
Miguel Palenzuela	...	Commisario
Pedro Miguel Martínez	...	Médico Jefe
Ion Gabella	...	Recluso paranoico
Joserra Cadiñanos	...	Guardia
Tristán Ulloa	...	Camarero
Pepe Navarro	...	Presentador T.V.
Jaro	...	Médico 1
Walter Prieto	...	Médico 2

Storyline

A once handsome playboy, César finds himself in a mental facility and he can't remember why. All he can remember is meeting the love of his life for one day, and then getting into a car accident which left his face horribly disfigured. But the pain of becoming physically undesirable may help him to find the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

love | self pity | immortality | suffering | accidental shooting | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality, language and some violence

Details

Country:

Spain France Italy

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Permanent Midnight

Filming Locations:

Calle Gran Via, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Las Producciones del Escorpión, Les Films Alain Sarde

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie Eduardo Noriega appears moving by an empty Madrid's Gran Vía, without cars or people. This scene was victim of a certain polemic due to The Devil's Advocate (1997), where its main character Keanu Reeves appears moving by a too totally empty New York City's Fifth Avenue, creating a doubt about which of the two scenes was copied (or plagiarized) of the other.

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Goofs

A crew member is reflected in the car window when César picks up Pelayo for tennis.

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Quotes

Pelayo: Did you screw her?
César: Screw who?

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Connections

References Twelve Monkeys (1995)

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Soundtracks

T-Sebo
Composed by B. García and F.J. Ferrero
Performed by Side Effects

User Reviews

Astonishing....and really depressing

Go see this film. Now. I'll wait.

Okay, this film is truly one of the most excellent mixtures of genres I have ever seen. It will leave you truly moved, truly surprised, and truly depressed. That's okay, though, because this is such a wonderful movie. The film centers around the life of a rich and handsome young man after a disfiguring accident. We are taken along as he tries to find a way to grow accustomed to a life without the things he relied on (mainly looks) before. After hitting rock bottom, things start to get better for him, and it is here that the seamless weaving of genres occur. I don't want to give too much away, but the film constantly keeps you on your toes and never grows dull. "Abre los Ojos" is a truly stunning love story, psychological thriller, and science fiction film all rolled into a flawless whole. Do yourself a favor and see it before the Cameron Crowe remake, "Vanilla Sky", does to this film what "City of Angels" did to "Wings of Desire".