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

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. And whether or not it is clear to you, the universe is unfolding as it should.".

The Eyes Of My Mother contains one of the most disturbing and unsettling opening scenes I've seen in a film in a long time. It's an incredibly haunting film that stayed with me long after the credits rolled. It's a haunting odyssey and a descent into madness with a longing piercing sting. There are some images that I haven't been able to shake out my mind since I saw it a couple of days ago. Kika Magalhaes as Francisca commands the screen as one of the most terrifying horror villains in recent memory. Her character is so sure of the violence she acts upon people and Kika effortless captures her violent and evil side with careless evil abandon. It's briskly paced and wonderfully directed, and when the violence hits, it's shocking and effective. This is the directors first film, and it promises much more to come in the future. It's like watching an actual nightmare unfold onto the screen, and as the viewer I was locked in its grasp and forced to watch with my eyes glued on the screen. It's piercing in it's simplistic brutality and horrifying in its decidedly lowkey nature, yet don't dismiss the film as common horror, it's something fresh and entirely unique. It's effectively chilling and downright haunting in its visual style and it's storytelling. It's a beautiful nightmare.