Open Your Eyes [Abre Los Ojos] **** (1997, Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, Chete Lera) – Classic Movie Review 1818

Co-writer/director Alejandro Amenábar’s smart and polished 1997 Spanish romantic mystery drama was remade as Vanilla Sky by Cameron Crowe in 2001 with Tom Cruise and Penélope Cruz repeating the role she plays here.

A rich, handsome womanising publisher called César (Eduardo Noriega) meets his dream girl in the sexy Sofia Serrano (the lovely Cruz). This infuriates his old girlfriend, Nuria (Najwa Nimri), and, after she offers him a ride home, she promptly crashes their car against a wall. She thus commits suicide but César survives the crash with his face severely disfigured. The smashed-up publisher lives to tell his tale to a jail psychiatrist, but he needs to have his disfigured face rebuilt by surgery.

Amenábar’s satisfyingly quirky and mysterious film is stylish, atmospheric, subtle and intelligent. It’s entirely superior to Vanilla Sky.

Alejandro Amenábar is the director of The Others (2001) and The Sea Inside (2004).

Cruz won the 2009 Oscar and Bafta for Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1818

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