A mystical record that is supposed to help people relax and sleep leads two sisters down a path they never could have expected, one with sinister potential.
Based on his short Don’t Open Your Eyes, writer and director Adrian Garcia Bogliano expends the ideas and explores more of the idea that “good cannot exist without evil”, turning his short into a feature that is a solid exploration of good, evil, the land in-between, and how hypnotism could be for either side. The film here is a slow burn, actually, it’s more than slow, it’s real slow, but it works. There’s something here that is almost transcendent in how the film is written, directed, and how everything develops. This is a film that some will love, some will hate, and others won’t even finish. It’s a character study through an odd shade of science fiction with basis in some sciences. It’s a film that is hard to explain and that’s a good thing.
The cast here is led by Christina Lindberg and Felice Jankell as sisters Lena and Celeste. The two of them create characters that are easy to follow and easy to get into their stories. They give solid performances with a sisterly connection and bond as well as that odd way that sisters often disagree on many things while still being family. The film really leans into these two characters and the actresses’ performances. Hanna Asp as Selma is great to see, giving a performance that shows how an actress can give her all and still hold back for some mystery. The rest of the cast also gives good performances here, creating a solid ensemble cast, something films like this need.
The film here has a very specific look. The cinematography by Dario Goldgel is quiet. The film is visual quiet, meaning it’s not in your face all the time. Yes, some of the content is, but the cinematography itself is anything but visually loud. It’s carefully done, calculated images, made exactly to fit the story. The editing works well with this, giving scenes time to develop, but not too much time where they feel too long. Another major player here is the music by Rickard Gramfors, it’s an integral part of the film and it’s clearly done to fit just right.
The film overall is a fantastic watch, but it does require some attention be paid throughout lest the viewer gets completely lost. The writing, direction, performances, cinematography, and music are all strong points here. The release from Synapse Film is a solid one with a good number of extras, the best of which being a CD of the soundtrack included in the box. As this is a more recent film, it allows for the new extras to be done with some of the original creators. The commentary by director Adrian Garcia Bogliano is really good and the interview with him and actress Christina Lindberg is also quite interesting. The disc also as the traditional trailer and a still gallery, as well as the original short the film is based on, and lastly a behind-the-scenes featurette.