Review of The Eyes of My Mother (2016) by Ted W — 25 Sep 2017
This is a horror indie flick that has gotten quite a bit of good buzz, especially after being released on the Netflix circuit. But fair warning to fans of the horror genre: this is not your typical horror flick.
It's more creepy than scary, it's shot entirely in black and white, and a good chunk of the dialogue is in Portuguese (so, you know, subtitles). For all of these reasons, this movie will not appeal to everyone.
It definitely has a niche, but if that niche includes you, you'll love it as much as I did. Even though it doesn't adhere to the customary horror formula/tone/style, it's horrific right out of the gate.
There is virtually no gore or on-screen violence; rather, it's what occurs off-screen that is so horrifying... that moment when you fill in the blanks and realize what has happened. That's the genius of this film.
.. it doesn't spoon-feed you or resort to any horror clichés so you never see what's coming. The movie depicts the horrific events with a quiet, cold detachment, which makes it all the more disturbing.
It can get pretty tough to watch at times - thankfully, it's only 80 minutes, anything longer and it probably would have been too much. First time writer/director Nicholas Pesce has a subtle hand, he wisely downplays the details and lets your imagination do the work.
The entire film is eerie and atmospheric; full of graphic/uncomfortable imagery, but beautiful at the same time. Say what you will about it, Pesce certainly had a vision, and he executed it damn near perfectly.
This review of The Eyes of My Mother (2016) was written by Ted W on 25 Sep 2017.
The Eyes of My Mother has generally received mixed reviews.
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