OPEN YOUR EYES

The premise sounds promising: a young man’s face is disfigured in an apparent car wreck caused by a jealous girlfriend, and afterward he struggles to determine what is real. The film wants to explore fantasy and reality, dreams and reality, and the nature of perception.

But the movie’s second half becomes confusing and ultimately mindless. The blending of reality and fantasy never really makes sense, and the story does not provide the clarity viewers may hope for. Its humanistic treatment of cryogenics also fails to feel believable, even if the process were scientifically possible.

The R rating reflects foul language, sexual situations, upper female nudity, and violence, along with a pagan worldview that esteems physical beauty above all else. For your family, the practical answer is simple: skip it.

Cesar is a rich, charming, handsome young man celebrating his 25th birthday. After meeting Sofia, his best friend’s date, he becomes deeply interested in her and turns away a woman who has been pursuing him.

Then a jealous drive ends in tragedy, leaving Cesar with a disfigured face. As he later undergoes evaluation in a psychiatric hospital, he tries to reconstruct what happened and determine whether he is living in a dream or losing his mind.

Two stars means the film has an intriguing idea but does not bring it together successfully. Alejandro Amenabar aims to challenge the audience’s perception of reality, and the setup initially sounds provocative.

The execution is the problem. The blending of reality and fantasy never really makes sense in the second half, despite the actors’ best efforts. The cryogenics premise also never becomes believable. What begins as a potentially complex psychological thriller becomes a frustrating and ultimately mindless journey.

The film presents cryogenics—the process of freezing people in order to bring them back to life—as a viable reality, but the concept does not come across as believable. Its humanistic treatment of the idea is joined to a pagan worldview that esteems physical beauty above all else.

That belief departs from a biblical view of human worth. Scripture locates a person’s value in the heart and in God’s work, not merely in physical appearance: “but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart” (1 Peter 3:3–4).

The film begins with an intriguing question about reality, identity, and perception, but its confusing second half never provides satisfying answers. Its pagan view of beauty and its R-rated content add further reasons to stay away. Our answer is SKIP IT. For better options, see.