Screened
San Francisco International Film Festival
"The Eye", made by the Hong Kong twin brothers Danny and Oxide Pang, is a stylish horror flick that was a hit in Asia.
It possesses a smart concept (unlike, say, "Identity") and takes no illogical, improbable turns while delivering its chills. Given the success of "The Ring" and its Japanese precursor, adventurous American filmgoers should readily take to this Cantonese-language film, slated for a June release by Palm Pictures. ("The Eye II" is in production.)
The tale's protagonist, Wong Kar Mun Lee Sin-je), has been blind since age 2. She lives in Hong Kong with her cantankerous grandmother and her sister, a flight attendant. At the movie's opening, Mun is about to undergo a corneal transplant in both eyes, with the hope that she'll regain her sight. The operation is a success, but her new corneas bring her frightening visions.
She encounters specters who terrorize her with cryptic complaints: "I'm freezing", moans an old woman. "I'm hungry", says a young boy eating a candle, waxy flakes falling from his mouth. Mun not only sees dead people, she sees Death itself.
As Mun begins to retreat to her room and back into darkness, her handsome young therapist, Dr. Lo (Lawrence Chou), who's helping Mun deal with her new sensory input, grows concerned. He hears her fantastic story and realizes he and Mun must learn more about the corneas' donor if they are to understand the apparitions.
There are some frighteningly creepy moments, such as when Dr. Lo shows Mun a picture of her adult self for the first time, and she doesn't see what she expects (or what we expect). And when Mun first regains her sight, we see with her blurred vision: everything ghostly, indistinct and vaguely threatening. The movie also earns its fiery finish, without resulting to trickery, as "The Sixth Sense" did.
The movie's biggest achievement may be Lee's performance. Long after Mun's bandages have come off, Lee still gives Mun an unblinking, unfocused look, suggesting that even though Mun can see, she doesn't know what she's looking at. Her terror is palpable, and her attempts to erase not only her specters but her newfound sight as well are heartbreaking. Mun knew who she was as a blind person; by gaining her sight, she's lost her identity and, quite possibly, her sanity.
Not everything works in this film. The Pangs rely too much on blaring music cues to make the audience jump, and they haven't a clue how to handle romance.
The brothers' previous film together, "Bangkok: Dangerous", wasn't much more than an extended music video. This time around, they've made a real movie.
THE EYE
Palm Pictures
Applause Pictures Ltd, Premiere PR
Credits:
Director: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Screenwriters: Jo Jo Yuet Chun Hui, Danny Pang, Oxide Pang
Producers: Lawrence Tan-shui Cheng, Peter Ho-sun Chan
Director of photography, Decha Srimantra
Production designers: Simon So, Kritapas Suttinet
Music: Orange Music
Costume designers: Stephanie Wong, Jittima Kongsri
Editors: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Cast:
Wong Kar Mun: Lee Sin-je
Dr Lo: Lawrence Chou
Ying Ying: Yut Lai So
Ling: Chutcha Rujinanon
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
San Francisco International Film Festival
"The Eye", made by the Hong Kong twin brothers Danny and Oxide Pang, is a stylish horror flick that was a hit in Asia.
It possesses a smart concept (unlike, say, "Identity") and takes no illogical, improbable turns while delivering its chills. Given the success of "The Ring" and its Japanese precursor, adventurous American filmgoers should readily take to this Cantonese-language film, slated for a June release by Palm Pictures. ("The Eye II" is in production.)
The tale's protagonist, Wong Kar Mun Lee Sin-je), has been blind since age 2. She lives in Hong Kong with her cantankerous grandmother and her sister, a flight attendant. At the movie's opening, Mun is about to undergo a corneal transplant in both eyes, with the hope that she'll regain her sight. The operation is a success, but her new corneas bring her frightening visions.
She encounters specters who terrorize her with cryptic complaints: "I'm freezing", moans an old woman. "I'm hungry", says a young boy eating a candle, waxy flakes falling from his mouth. Mun not only sees dead people, she sees Death itself.
As Mun begins to retreat to her room and back into darkness, her handsome young therapist, Dr. Lo (Lawrence Chou), who's helping Mun deal with her new sensory input, grows concerned. He hears her fantastic story and realizes he and Mun must learn more about the corneas' donor if they are to understand the apparitions.
There are some frighteningly creepy moments, such as when Dr. Lo shows Mun a picture of her adult self for the first time, and she doesn't see what she expects (or what we expect). And when Mun first regains her sight, we see with her blurred vision: everything ghostly, indistinct and vaguely threatening. The movie also earns its fiery finish, without resulting to trickery, as "The Sixth Sense" did.
The movie's biggest achievement may be Lee's performance. Long after Mun's bandages have come off, Lee still gives Mun an unblinking, unfocused look, suggesting that even though Mun can see, she doesn't know what she's looking at. Her terror is palpable, and her attempts to erase not only her specters but her newfound sight as well are heartbreaking. Mun knew who she was as a blind person; by gaining her sight, she's lost her identity and, quite possibly, her sanity.
Not everything works in this film. The Pangs rely too much on blaring music cues to make the audience jump, and they haven't a clue how to handle romance.
The brothers' previous film together, "Bangkok: Dangerous", wasn't much more than an extended music video. This time around, they've made a real movie.
THE EYE
Palm Pictures
Applause Pictures Ltd, Premiere PR
Credits:
Director: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Screenwriters: Jo Jo Yuet Chun Hui, Danny Pang, Oxide Pang
Producers: Lawrence Tan-shui Cheng, Peter Ho-sun Chan
Director of photography, Decha Srimantra
Production designers: Simon So, Kritapas Suttinet
Music: Orange Music
Costume designers: Stephanie Wong, Jittima Kongsri
Editors: Oxide Pang, Danny Pang
Cast:
Wong Kar Mun: Lee Sin-je
Dr Lo: Lawrence Chou
Ying Ying: Yut Lai So
Ling: Chutcha Rujinanon
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 5/19/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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