The Eye (DVD)

...because it is directed by the Pang Brothers, famous for several Hong Kong/Thai films and also because I wanted to break the long line of Korean horrors I have been watching. The great thing about Asian film is that I have rarely heard much about the film beforehand, which means I can watch without any expectations. On the whole, this was a good film, although certainly not the best I have seen. Still, it makes a pleasant change from the perhaps more ...
...who has been blind since the age of two, has a cornea transplant. The operation is a success; her vision is virtually reinstored. All should be well, but there is one problem. Mun is able to see things that other people can't and eventually she realises that she can see the dead. Sometimes they are harmless enough; other times they are very threatening. In addition, her bedroom keeps turning into someone else's. Terrified, she seeks the help of a ... more

This is another in a long list of Asian horror/ghost films I have watched recently. I picked up this one because it is directed by the Pang Brothers, famous for several Hong Kong/Thai films and also because I wanted to break the long line of Korean horrors I have been watching. The great thing about Asian film is that I have rarely heard much about the film beforehand, which means I can watch without any expectations. On the whole, this was a good film, although certainly not the best I have seen. Still, it makes a pleasant change from the perhaps more polished Hollywood films and can certainly be given marks for originality.

Mun, who has been blind since the age of two, has a cornea transplant. The operation is a success; her vision is virtually reinstored. All should be well, but there is one problem. Mun is able to see things that other people can't and eventually she realises that she can see the dead. Sometimes they are harmless enough; other times they are very threatening. In addition, her bedroom keeps turning into someone else's. Terrified, she seeks the help of a psychotherapist, Dr Wah, who has the job of readjusting Mun to the life of the seeing. Initially, he doesn't believe her, but soon realises that Mun's terror is real.

Mun begins to feel that the person whose cornea she has been given is trying to tell her something. Dr Wah manages to get his uncle, who performed the operation, to tell him the name of the donor, a Thai-born Chinese girl called Ling. Mun and Dr Wah travel to Thailand and find the village where Ling lived. Finding out about Ling's death helps Mun to realise what it is that she needs to do to let Ling rest in peace.

This film intrigued me from start to finish. Angelica Lee, who plays Mun, is faultless. Her acting when she sees herself in the mirror for the first time is really touching; I could really believe that she had recently regained her vision. Her terror when she realises that she can see things that no-one else can is superb. I have seen her in other roles, but I think this is the strongest of her performances that I have seen yet. I found it thought-provoking - what would it be like to have been blind for most of your life and then suddenly regain your sight?

I was less impressed with Lawrence Chou as Dr Wah. To begin with, he was supposed to be a trained psychotherapist, but he looked about 18. Then I found his acting quite wooden and much less believable than Mun's, particularly when he comes to realise that Mun is telling the truth about what she is seeing. He didn't ruin the film - his role is not that big - but I do think the directors could have found a better actor.

The cinematography was not the best that I have ever seen. Luckily, there is not that much in the way of special effects. What there is was fleeting, which was a good thing because they weren't very realistic. There is a scene where ghosts are seen running from an accident that I thought was particularly poor. Apart from that though, there were no real problems with the filming - I liked the way that the ghosts were filmed as shadows. The effect was much more subtle than that during the accident scene.

I really enjoyed seeing Thai scenery. I didn't realise that the Pang brothers, although brought up in Hong Kong, are now based in Bangkok, hence the Thai connection. Several of the actors, including the one that plays Ling, are Thai.

Although the story was original, I think that it let the film down in a couple of places, particularly when Mun goes to Thailand and meets Ling's mother. Despite the good acting, it just didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the film, and it left me disappointed. It certainly could have been handled much better than it was.

On the whole though, I did like this film. One advantage with horror/ghost stories is that you never quite know what is going to happen next and it is this that keeps me watching. I get sick of sugary Hollywood films; the special effects may be perfect, but sometimes a bit of roughness can bring something different to a film, making it more enjoyable. I have to admit to being slightly biased towards Asian films; I spent many years of my life in China and I think that familiarity does make it easier to watch Asian films. However, I would still recommend anyone who likes horror to watch this film. Yes, it is subtitled, but the subtitles are excellent. I know many don't watch films that are subtitled, which I think is a shame. It may take a little practice to get used to reading subtitles, but it is worth it in the end - I can now watch a subtitled film without even noticing that I am reading them.

The DVD is available from Amazon.com for £15.99 for the collector's version - the ordinary version doesn't seem to be available in a UK-friendly format.

Classification: 15

Running time: 94 minutes 

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