The story of a woman who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister.
Yes, it's overlong but Del Toro acolyte Rueda brings some much atmosphere and suspense that you'll barely notice.
After a shaky opening act, Julia’s Eyes jumps to life.
A pity the piece doesn’t know when to quit and becomes baggy in the final third. Till then, though, it’s quite the thrill ride.
This is edge-of-the-seat viewing from start to finish.
Director Guillem Morales overdoes the Grand Guignol until we’re numbed into submission.
While it's a little overlong and slightly flabby in places, it plays mostly fair so when a few of the more ludicrous twists arrive in the second half, there's enough goodwill generated by the thoughtful, creepy and effective setup to carry things through to the end.
It's about half an hour too long, but the play on blindness and sight is authentically sinister.
Julia's Eyes is a masterclass in tension.
An eye-opener.
Cleverly plotted and teasingly directed.
Misfiring Spanish horror takes an age to get anywhere.
As the plot is stretched out and Morales piles on more shocks – all soundtracked to a comically clanging score – the tension soon dissipates and, sadly, the attempts to provide an emotional punch consequently end up looking silly and overwrought.
Using blindness as a plot device, a metaphor for social awareness and as a numinous experience that romantically links minds, it's a fascinating, broken-backed picture full of riveting twists and dubious psychology.
Julia’s Eyes is, essentially, a very well made chiller in the stalk ‘n’ slash tradition. But what elevates it above less eye-catching entries in that horror sub-genre, is the way in which director and co-writer Guillem Morales (who previously made the intriguing psycho-drama The Uncertain Guest) plays with the idea of seeing and not seeing.
General release. Check local listings for show times.