Te doy mis ojos
Spain,
2003, 106 min
Shown in 2005
CREDITS
- dir
-
Iciar Bollain
- prod
-
Santiago García de Leániz, Enrique González Macho
- scr
-
Iciar Bollain, Alicia Luna
- cam
-
Carles Gusi
- editor
-
Angel Hernández Zoido
- mus
-
Alberto Iglesias
- cast
-
Laia Marull, Luis Tosar, Candela Peña, Rosa María Sardá, Kiti Manver, Sergi Calleja, Nicolás Fernández Luna, Elizabet Gelabert
- source
-
New Yorker Films, 85 Fifth Ave, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10003. FAX: 212-645-5445. EMAIL: rebeca.conget@newyorkerfilms.com.
OTHER
Iciar Bollain’s intense film provides a serious look at domestic violence by chronicling a turning point in one couple’s abusive marriage. The film commences with the aftermath of violence—Pilar’s panicked flight into the dead of night to find shelter for herself and her son. Her panic, and the quivering terror she later experiences at the very sight of her husband, Antonio (an unforgettable performance by Luis Tosar), leads us to conclude early on that a permanent separation is inevitable. The remainder of the film dismisses any easy solutions, forcing us to see the couple as more than a brute and his weak-willed victim. Stellar acting allows the constant threat of Antonio’s latent violence to credibly coexist with the couple’s shared love for their son, their ardent passion, their tender endearments. Antonio’s therapy sessions reveal the depth of his insecurities and fears as well as the strength of will required to avert an almost automatic physiological conversion of fear into rage. Toledo, Spain is a fitting background for this story, its fortresses and Old Masters serving as reminders of the power and endurance of violence and passion. The film stunned Spanish audiences, winning seven Goyas including best film, director, original screenplay, actor and actress.
—Abby Staeble
FACTOID #61
The first repertory film screened at Festival was The Bluebird (1940), based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s play, showed October 23, 1965, with Shirley Temple Black in person to discuss her role in the film.
