Review of The Eyes of My Mother (2016) by Muhammad K — 06 Dec 2016

I'm not seeing what others are seeing in this pseudo-horror film.

It's beautifully shot in black and white. And that's about all to recommend it...cinematography. There's no story development here, no excuse for the behaviors of anyone shown.

There's a Mom who's Portuguese. And quite weird. There's a Daughter who switches between English and Portuguese. She's weird from the start and gets weirder. There's a Dad who never speaks. He's the most normal of the three. And he's weird in a way that you'll keep thinking amounts to something, but never does.

There are no scares in this, no surprises, no "chills" as this site seems to think will "linger" after the credits. Which can't come soon enough, even for a film as short as this.

Even the title makes no sense: the only time eyes are alluded to is at the beginning, when Mom dissects a cow's eye for her quiet, weirdo kid. Eyes play no role in this, from what I saw (no pun intended.).

Daughter grows up like those kids from "Tideland." All isolated and living in a world that somehow sustains itself (she has no job I could detect...how did these people make a living?) She lives alone...her only company for the longest time being the lunatic who visits early on, and is taken prisoner for his horrible deed. When he misbehaves, "Francisca" moves on to new "friends" or carves them into steaks for the ancient fridge.

Seriously...this looks more like an art-school project than an actual film. "Haunting odyssey" my foot; this was a chore to watch after the first of three "acts." Since nothing of note happens, other than Francisca becoming more reclusive, child-like, and randomly sinister, it becomes an exercise in lunacy that feels devoid of personality or emotion.

Do NOT believe these ridiculous reviews. Some "critics" need to explain their position in-depth, as opposed to using tired tropes about graphics, shading, lighting, etc.

Here's an idea: How about a narrative and an actual story? How about some actual tension that leads somewhere interesting? How about just a modicum of realism as to people going missing and yet no-one seeks them out?

I have no problem with the pace. I have a huge problem with the lack of anything tangible to talk about afterward. other than "Why is this getting good reviews, who's paying for them?" This is an instantly forgettable film.

It's "Eraserhead" w/o a point, a plot, interesting characters, or catchy musical numbers. It's "Dogtooth" making even less sense, but prettier looking. And we all know beauty is only skin deep; emptiness goes all the way to the bone.