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06/27/03

Starring: Lee Sin-Je, Lawrence Chou, Candy Lo, Pierre Png, Edmund Chen, So Yut Lai, Ko Yin Ping
Directed by: Danny and Oxide Pang

Rating: *** stars (out of 4 stars)

Seeing is definitely worth believing in the Hong Kong supernatural thriller The Eye. Filmmaking siblings Danny and Oxide Pang preside over a hypnotic and moody goosebump session that promises to have one hallucinating as the frames roll. The Pangs, Thai-based moviemakers who collaborated on the sensationalized Bangkok Dangerous, apply their spooky storytelling skills concerning a blind girl whose vision is restored only to encounter other unexpected sightings of a different kind. Quite imaginative and cerebrally challenging for a spookfest narrative, The Eye never blinks when it comes to captivating viewers with its inherent hair-raising high jinks.

What’s so fascinating about the Pangs’ progressive creepy drama is its insistence on making the eerie vibes feel so genuine within the characters’ indelible psyche hence the need not to depend heavily on the ridiculously conjured up scare tactics that conventionally are so typical in American flimsy frightfests. In the tradition of terrorizing treats such as M. Night Shyamalan’s jittery gem The Sixth Sense or Gore Verbinski’s twitchy suspense piece The Ring (based on Asian filmmaker Hideo Nakata’s chilling horror tale), The Eye is certainly a sight for sore pupils in the skin crawling department. Atmospheric and existential in its caustic vibes, the Pangs orchestrate the tense proceedings with the urgency of fingernails scratching across a classroom blackboard.

The Eye, or its common known title Jian gui, introduces us to the youthful Mun (played by popular Taiwanese entertainer Lee Sin-Je a.k.a. Angelica Lee) whose blindness since childhood is finally corrected some fourteen years later through the wonders of a remarkable cornea transplant. The newfound ability to see is much appreciated by the rejuvenated Mun. However, she must also realize that this operation that gave her a new perspective on life can also have its immediate damaging moments as well. Living most of her life in the darkness was somewhat familiar and comforting for Mun. Now she must face the realities of confronting strange objects and other foreign images that she doesn’t quite grasp in concept.

When enduring the light literally hours after having the bandages removed from her formerly deprived eyes, Mun starts to notice ominous shadows that represent somewhat of a ghostly nature. Soon she experiences the realization that she may be witnessing spirits of people long past. It’s rather obvious that Mun is having a Cole Sear Sixth Sense kind of moment in the way she’s also seeing “dead people”. Those closely working with Mun, particularly her dedicated eye doctor (Edmund Chen) and her therapist (Lawrence Chou), wonder about the so-called visions that are haunting to Mun. Is this merely a side effect to her road to recovery or is this just an overactive imagination to the transition of living among the sighted folks? Whatever the unclear fears are that vigorously haunt Mun, she looks to retreat back to the shelter of blackness where everything is safe because it’s unknown and unassuming.

Indeed, The Eye is compelling and reminiscent of a conglomeration of scary fare that have touched our harried hearts at one time or another. This is not to say that the Pang Brothers have a flawless boo display here. The first half of the film is exhilarating when our heuristic heroine is feeling her way to sightseeing normalcy. The directors are resourceful at delivering Mun’s baby steps as far as propelling her into a world that’s far more frightful than what she initially imagined. It’s very interesting that Mun would choose the inconvenience of blindness over the convenience of being able to interpret the art of sight. After all, who would associate the complication of seeing a vast world as something threatening and challenging to boot?

The gradual determination of Mun’s fortitude to conceptualize the world that was hidden from her for so long is riveting because we’re seeing an impressionable gal stuck in the confines of her uncertain predicament. As she struggles to make sense out of her gifted working eyes, we feel for her sympathetic path to independence. And perhaps her concocted figurehead demons is her denial for not wanting to accept this change of fate-a defense mechanism for shying away from something that’s understandably unidentifiable.

However, the second half of the film is a let down in some minor considerations as the formula becomes slight despite the merging drama from the push of the film’s beginning stages. Mun’s inquisitive nature pretty much leads to a wild goose chase and the audience is left wondering as to why the staggering sentimentality regarding her need to track down the donor in Thailand. What about the badgering paranormal plight that renders her confused in a perpetual state of mind? Shouldn’t she tackle this on-going dilemma that clouds her judgment first and foremost? Once Mun is up and about, the film’s subplot settles for an uneven run-of-the-mill road trip that refuses to stay on course within its own directional guidelines of our leading lady’s head-trip.

Aside from the innocuous distractions and borrowed brazen blueprint lifted from the likes of other contemporary thrill-seeking scare masters, The Pangs joyously celebrate their rollicking canvas of creepiness by obtaining inspired performances from their cast of impeccable players. The plot is familiar but certainly contributes an intriguing spin regarding the delusional daze of a young woman looking to belong in two different existences that have no defining black or white area to rest her reassurance on. As the wounded Mun, Sin-Je is exceptional as the youngish bewildered beauty trapped by indecision and hindered by unexplained abnormal elements.

As a horror film, The Eye doesn’t necessarily break any revolutionary ground per se. But it’s an absolutely solid showstopper that doesn’t mind tingling with its pensive intensity. For that, you have to admire a literate loony tune flick that stops and makes you think as it proceeds to knock the socks off of your nervous feet.