Close Your Eyes (2023 film)

In 2012, about twenty years after the mysterious disappearance near the sea of actor Julio Arenas while shooting a film titled The Farewell Gaze in the 1990s, a sensationalist television show revives the case, coming to involve film director and Arenas' close friend Miguel Garay, who talks to Julio's daughter Ana, movie's editor and archivist Max, and mutual friend and lover Lola.[1][2][3][4]

The project (marking Erice's first full-length picture since the 1992 docudrama The Quince Tree Sun)[6] was revealed upon the disclosure of the allocation of public funding to film productions by Andalusian regional broadcaster Canal Sur in mid-2022.[7] The screenplay was penned by Víctor Erice and Michel Gaztambide based on an original story by Erice.[8][9][10] The film is a Pecado Films, Tandem Films, Nautilus Films, Pampa Films and La voz del adiós AIE production, with the participation of RTVE, Canal Sur, Vodafone, EiTB, Movistar Plus+, Telemadrid, and support of ICAA, the Andalusia and Madrid regional administrations and Diputación de Granada.[5][1]

Shooting locations included Castell de Ferro and Gualchos (province of Granada) and Aguadulce (province of Almería),[9][7] as well as Asturias and Madrid.[11][2]

The film was selected to be screened in the Cannes Premiere section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival,[12] where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023.[13] Erice declined to attend the premiere, explaining his absence in an open letter sent to El País on the basis of a reported lack of "dialogue and consultation" on the part of programming director Thierry Frémaux during the selection process.[14] Having submitted a QuickTime format version of the film in March 2023 and later a DCP with the final color grading and sound mixes, Erice reportedly knew about the Cannes Premiere slate during the official press conference on the morning of 13 April 2023, with Frémaux reportedly ghosting Erice and failing to notify in due time whether the film would be entered into an official selection's competition slot, so Erice could not assess and choose among other alternatives that Close Your Eyes had, including an opening of Cannes' parallel section Directors' Fortnight, and screenings in Locarno and Venice.[14] The Cannes Film Festival issued a statement in response claiming that the selection of the film took place under usual conditions, explaining that they were "above all proud and happy to have welcomed Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice to its 76th edition".[14] The film also made it to the 'Centrepiece' programme of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival,[15] to the 'Icon' section of the 28th Busan International Film Festival,[16] to the 'Create' section of the 2023 BFI London Film Festival,[17] and to the main slate of the 2023 New York Film Festival.[18]

Distributed by Avalon,[1][11][19] it was released theatrically in Spain on 29 September 2023.[20] Haut et Court acquired distribution rights in France,[21] where a 16 August 2023 theatrical release date was set.[22] New Wave Films acquired United Kingdom and Ireland distribution rights.[23] On 7 September 2023, ahead of its Spanish theatrical premiere, the film was announced to be in the shortlist for Spain's submission to the 96th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, competing with 20,000 Species of Bees, and Society of the Snow.[24]

According to the American review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Close Your Eyes has a 91% approval rating based on 22 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 8.70/10.[25]

Manu Yáñez of Fotogramas rated Close Your Eyes 5 out of 5 stars, highlighting the final stretch of the story as the best thing about the film.[26]

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter underscored the film to be "a poignant cinematic swan song".[27]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 4 out of 5 stars describing it as "expansive, garrulous and yet also downbeat and pessimistic", considering that "there is something deeply civilised and gentle about this film".[4]

Daniel de Partearroyo of Cinemanía rated the film 4½ out of 5 stars, stressing in the veredict "the return of the king", and how Erice "is awe-inspiring with his gaze from another time".[28]

• List of Spanish films of 2023

• Close Your Eyes at IMDb