Screen/Society--"Close Your Eyes" (Victor Erice, 2023)

Film Screening:

"Close Your Eyes"
(Victor Erice, 2023, 169 min, Spain, Spanish with English subtitles, DCP)

Over three decades after the release of his previous film, revered Spanish auteur Víctor Erice ("The Spirit of the Beehive", "El Sur", and "Dream of Light") returns with a "poignant cinematic swan song" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Set in contemporary Madrid, an aging filmmaker named Miguel Garay is called upon to recount his memories of working on his final and still unfinished film, "The Farewell Gaze". During its production, the lead actor and Miguel's close friend, Julio Arenas, disappeared without a trace, leaving in his wake a mystery that would haunt the lives of everyone associated with the film. Miguel never directed another project, instead living a quiet life as a writer by the coast. He remained reluctant to unravel the mystery surrounding Julio until approached by an investigative television program reviving the case decades later. With careful reflection, he reconnects with the film's crew, former lovers, and Julio's daughter, seeking closure for the disappearance and what it meant for all of their lives.

"A haunting yet simultaneously vibrant film about time, memory, and the myth-making capacity of cinema itself, CLOSE YOUR EYES is a dazzling return to fictional feature filmmaking by one of cinema's greatest giants." - Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, AWFJ.org

"Erice's fourth feature is a stirring tale about memory, identity, and friendship, and it feels deeply, almost alarmingly personal." - Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture