Close Your Eyes (2024)

Direction: Victor Erice
Country: Spain

Victor Erice, the masterful Spanish writer-director known for iconic films such as The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), El Sur (1983), and Dream of Light (1992), returns after more than three decades with another cinematic gem, Close Your Eyes. Set in 2012 Madrid, the film follows Miguel Garay (Manolo Solo), a filmmaker who is invited by a TV show to share his testimony about his best friend, famous actor Julio Arenas (José Coronado), who mysteriously disappeared 22 years earlier without a trace.. 

Close Your Eyes is a masterclass in structure, meticulously shot with intimate close-ups and an engrossing three-hour narrative. It restores faith in cinema, serving as a haunting tribute to both the medium's history and the endurance of deep friendships. Erice wields a radical simplicity and purity of gaze that only a true cinematic master can command. Every scene is given exactly the time it needs, every camera movement is intentional, and the dialogue captivates as it weaves a relatable tale of mystery, nostalgia, and the search for meaning. 

I also found curious how Erice, without being conservative, shows the changes of time with an elegant subtlety. At 83 years old, and with only four feature films to his name, Erice has an unparalleled ability to evoke mood, time, and place with a light, yet poignant, touch. Beautiful moments like the reunion between Garay and his former girlfriend (Soledad Villamil) radiate warmth and nostalgia, with melancholy lingering just beneath the surface, triggering immediate emotions and fleeting intuitions.

While quiet in tone, Close Your Eyes is rich in character and atmosphere, offering an immersive experience with the timeless quality of a classic.

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Direction: Andrew Haigh
Country: UK

In Andrew Haigh’s latest psychological and supernatural drama, All of Us Strangers, we follow the journey of Adam (Andre Scott), a homosexual screenwriter in his forties who gets in touch with his feelings after starting a relationship with a mysterious neighbor, Harry (Paul Mescal). As their connection deepens, Adam inexplicably finds himself connecting with their late parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), who tragically passed away in a car accident when he was 12. Partially filmed in the house where Haigh grew up on the outskirts of Croydon, the film, based on Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers, carries a personal touch that adds depth to the narrative. The inclusion of a 1980s soundtrack further enhances the nostalgic atmosphere.

This beautifully understated and unique film transitions from the mundane to the otherworldly with feverish quietness, offering a poignant exploration of solitude, trauma, grief, love, and the vagaries of time. It’s a well-constructed and nuanced drama that drips with bold visual aplomb and a subtle mysticism akin to disorienting, dreamlike states.

Haigh confirms the immense filmmaking capabilities and storytelling expertise previously showcased in films such as Weekend (2011) and 45 Years (2015). All of Us Strangers lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. It haunts you, and you’ll admire its conception while searching for answers. While the film may not provide easy resolutions, its ambivalent nature and mysterious allure make for a captivating viewing experience. Indeed, it stands as something special in contemporary cinema.

Eileen (2023)

Direction: William Oldroyd
Country: USA

Directed by William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth, 2016), Eileen is an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s debut novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Moshfegh herself and Luke Goebel. It’s a soggy slow burn depicted with formal pomp and impressive cinematography that, gradually, goes from intriguing to banal.

The plot follows Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a bored and lonely young woman who lives with her alcoholic father (Shea Whigham), a troubled ex-cop, and works in a juvenile detention facility as an assistant. Her routine takes a strange turn when Rebecca (Anne Hathaway), a confident psychologist and graduated from Harvard, arrives at New England, bringing some fantasy into her life but also chaos. Both women share a special interest in Lee Polk (Sam Nivola), a kid who mysteriously stabbed his father to death in his sleep. 

Eileen is better characterized than Rebecca, who appears more enigmatic, and the flatness of the story is intermittently interrupted by the former’s grace. However, as a noir psychological thriller, the film fails to raise its staging to exceptional heights, remaining more or less nailed to the ground. It’s all done mechanically, without the brilliance that would have captivated the audience. 

Sensuality, desire, and depressive insanity are predominant factors in a story that recites all the commonplaces of the genre without possessing the sophistication of its models. Despite incorporating some twists that force changes in direction, Eileen falls short of being exciting, concluding with a rushed ending that lacks surprise or shock. What remains is just the idea of something uncomfortably bland.