Abre Los Ojos (thing)

Abre los Ojos is, among other things, the inspiration for Vanilla Sky. If you want a plot synopsis, read one of the many at that node. The basic line of action is essentially the same.

What I will discuss here is my impressions of the film and how it compares to Vanilla Sky.

Having already seen Vanilla Sky, I was overjoyed to see that CWRU film society had Abre los Ojos in their spring line-up. I went expecting a significantly more artiful execution of the surealist themes than I had found in Vanilla Sky. I remember sitting in the theater watching Vanilla Sky and thinking, "This would be so much better in Spanish". I think the Spanish language lends itself well to surreal literature.

At any rate, I can honestly say that I did not find what I was looking for. Not that it was a bad film mind you -- it was quite good. It just didn't do any better than Vanilla Sky. For one thing, Vanilla Sky has significantly higher production value. The soundtrack, cinematography and lighting were better, and to be honest, Abre los Ojos has a much more hollywood feel to it. The scenes in the asylum lacked the atmosphere of their Vanilla Sky counterparts, and the ending of Vanilla Sky had smoother flow. All of these little faults served to break the immersive illusion necessary for really good sureal film.

In conclusion, if you only watch one of these two, watch Vanilla Sky. If you have the time, however, watch both.

Mad props to the IMDB for names and numbers.