"Te Doy Mis Ojos" - "Take My Eyes"

Released: 2003
Director: Icíar Bollain
Cast: Laia Marull, Luis Tosar, Candela Peña, Rosa María Sardá,

If your view of Spanish cinema goes no further than Almodóvar's early kitsch surrealism or del Toro's dark fairy tales then Te Doy Mis Ojos could be just the film to broaden your horizons. Be warned though, you won't laugh much.

We found this in the bargain bin in Carrefour in Cartagena (I say “we”, it was actually my wife, Amanda.) The attraction was that the director and actors all appeared to be unfamiliar at the time. Since then, we have seen them all in other films; in fact the male lead, Luis Tosar, was a police officer in Sin Noticias de Dios about which I posted last week (blink and you'll miss him – I did.) The director, Icíar Bollain, is currently working on the next Gael García Bernal movie, Tambien la Lluvia in Bolivia. In 2004, Te Doy Mis Ojos took seven Goyas, including best movie, director, actor and actress.

So, pedigree established, what's it all about?. It begins with Pilar, played by Laia Marull, rushing from room to room in an apartment, gathering up her sleepy young son and generally looking frightened and urgent. She goes to her sister's home and it soon becomes apparent that she is fleeing her abusive husband, Antonio who attempts to 'woo' her back with a predictable mix of entreaties, promises, instructions and anger. We have the will-she-won't-she return to him all played out against the backdrop of her attempts to build a life of her own and also her sister's impending marriage to a charming Scot who is attentive, does the washing up, is good with kids, etc. (the film addresses Spanish stereotypes, not Scottish ones.) In other words, all the women in the film think he's marvellous; the men don't. The tension begins in that first scene and doesn't let up. There is a sense of danger throughout; whenever Antonio is on screen we are just waiting for him to erupt into violence. And we are kept waiting.

What makes the film stand out is its completely unflinching look at domestic violence that examines both sides of the equation. By the end, we understand both Pilar and Antonio; what has led them to where they are and the choices that they ultimately make. With Pilar it's the influence of family history; her sister is escaping but Pilar feels doomed to repeat her mother's martyrdom unless she can find a way out. Also how an intense physical attraction can overcome all common sense. Antonio's family also appear to have shaped him (don't they always?) particularly his total lack of self-esteem. He also suffers from a therapist whose 'light touch' approach is unlikely to help Antonio triumph in his battle with his anger.

The acting, especially from Laia Marull, is raw and convincing; there's no Hollywood-style looking sexy while she's acting scared here; she genuinely looks out-of-control terrified when Antonio is on the edge. She knows that she could die at his hands.

Spain is an interesting backdrop for this story with it's stereotype of machismo misogyny and I can't help but think that the director is making some sort of commentary here. The men's therapy group paints a very bleak picture of a certain type of Spanish man and Pilar's plight seems, at times, quite hopeless. Interesting that her sister, who is much more free/liberated/happy in her relationship, has had to marry a foreigner.

At the end, there are no triumphs, no real happy-ending winners. But there is resolution of a sort that is entirely appropriate to a film that aims for realism.