The Eye (2002)

A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she would be able to see again. However, she got more than what she bargained for when she realized she could even see ghosts.

Directors:

Danny Pang (as Pang Brothers), Oxide Chun Pang (as Pang Brothers)

Writers:

Yuet-Jan Hui (as Jojo Hui), Danny Pang (as Pang Brothers)

Stars:

Angelica Lee, Chutcha Rujinanon, Lawrence Chou

9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angelica Lee	...	Wong Kar Mun (as Lee Sin-Je)
Lawrence Chou	...	Dr. Wah
Jinda Duangtoy	...	Old Lady in the Hospital
Yut Lai So	...	Yingying
Candy Lo	...	Yee (Mun's Sister)
Edmund Chen	...	Dr. Lo
Yin Ping Ko	...	Mun's grandmother
Florence Wu	...	Nurse
Wisarup Annuar	...	Dark Figure
Yuet Siu Wong	...	Ghost in the Hospital
Wing-Wai Chin	...	Hospital Caretaker
Tao Leung	...	Ghost on the Highway
Mylio Lau	...	Wah's Secretary (as Miyuki Lau)
Ousinthorn Chotphan	...	Mun as a Little Girl
Dampongongtrakul Sawadee	...	Yee as a Little Girl

Storyline

A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she would be able to see again. However, she got more than what she bargained for when she realised she could even see ghosts. And some of these ghosts are down right unfriendly. So she embarks on a journey to find the origins of her cornea and to reveal the history of the previous dead owner ...

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural horror | ghost | eye | vision | blind girl | 

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Taglines:

What if the reflection you see is not yours

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Palm Pictures [United States]

Country:

Hong Kong Singapore

Language:

Cantonese Thai Mandarin English Hakka

Release Date:

9 May 2002 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Seeing Ghosts

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Box Office

Budget:

SGD 4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,058, 8 June 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$503,714, 9 November 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Applause Pictures, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 110 min 94 min (DVD) 94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The beginning (the operation for a blind girl to see again) and the end of the film are based on true stories the Pang brothers read about in the news.

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Goofs

In Mun's calligraphy lesson, the brush is dipped into a glass of water, blackening it. In consecutive shots the water in the glass is clear and clean.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Boy with Cap: Have you seen my report card?

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits sequence is interrupted as if the film was stuck: first it appears to melt, then the screen strobes, slowing to a flash, as if the projector intermittent was slowing down.

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Connections

Referenced in End Roll (2012)

User Reviews

Don't dare blink as you may miss something.

Wong Kar Mun went blind at the age of two, 18 years later she undergoes a cornea transplant that appears to be a success. Unfortunately that success comes with a terrifying side-effect; the ability to see unhappy ghosts.

Gin Gwai (The Eye) is directed by the Pang brothers Oxide and Danny and stars Angelica Lee (Mun) and Lawrence Chou (Dr.Wah) as the two main principals.

No matter what source of reference you use for film reviews, one thing that can be guaranteed as regards Gin Gwai is how divided people are on it. One of the few things that most tend to agree on though is that it's visual flourishes are nothing short of fantastic. And they are. Blended with the editing, music, sound, camera-work and the effects, it therefore fuels the fire of those calling it style over substance. It's also fair to drop onside with those folk decrying the over familiarity with its central themes. If you have seen Irvin Kershner's The Eyes Of Laura Mars, Michael Apted's Blink and M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, well you wont be watching anything thematically new here. But the Pang brothers have crafted a thoroughly engrossing, menacing and nerve gnawer of a film, one that delivers chills and scares for the discerning horror sub-genre fan.

Here's the crux of the matter with Gin Gwai, it is the opposite side of the Asian horror coin to the likes of the blood letting Audition. This is pure and simply for those not in need of murder death kill to fulfil their horror needs. I was creeped out immensely by this film because the ghost and supernatural side of horror is what really works for me, as long as it is done effectively. To which Gin Gwai most assuredly is. The various scenes shift from ethereal unease to hold your breath terror, from classrooms to lifts, to hospital wards, the brothers Pang, with beautiful technical expertise, held me over a precipice of dread. Even the opening credits are inventive and have the ability to send a cautionary shiver down ones spine. There's a barely formed, and pointless, romantic angle that marks it down a point, but as the blistering (literally) last quarter assaults the senses and so does the time for reflection arrive. Gin Gwai ends up being one of this decades best horror pictures. Well to me at least. 9/10