Screening times:
Friday, Oct 11, 6:30 PM
Saturday, Oct 12, 6:30 PM - Half-capacity screening
Victor Erice | Spain, Argentina | 2023 | 169m | Spanish, Catalan
with Manolo Solo, José Coronado, Ana Torrent, María León, Helena Miquel
Aging filmmaker Miguel Garay (Manolo Solo) 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 (José Coronado), vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mystery that would haunt the lives of everyone associated with the film.
Miguel never directed another project and instead decided to live a quiet life as a writer by the coast. He remained reluctant to unravel the mystery until approached by an investigative journalist decades later. With careful reflection, he reconnects with the film’s crew, former lovers, and Julio’s daughter, seeking closure and understanding for what the disappearance meant to all their lives and perhaps finally piece together what actually happened to Julio.
Did he commit suicide? Did he fake his death? Might he still be alive? And if he is, why has he never returned to make peace with the people he left behind? Scenes of the unfinished film are juxtaposed with scenes in the present day as Garay emerges into the world as if from a deep sleep, gently launching his investigation into the his friend's legacy, inexorably tied as it is to his own.
Three decades after the release of his previous film, revered Spanish auteur Víctor Erice returns with only the fourth film of his impressive career, following The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), El Sur (1983), and Dream of Light (1992). A reflective culmination of Erice’s career in film, Close Your Eyes is a haunting meditation on memory, absence, and the enduring resonance of the moving image.
“Close Your Eyes is a sad, delicate, powerful and beautiful gift to film fans." -Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
"The searching of a now-84-year-old maestro of cinema is exquisitely moving and speaks with an urgency that isn’t at all undermined by the films languid pace." -Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
"“What happened?” was a common question asked about Erice’s scant filmography. Close Your Eyes is, among many other wonderful things, the reply. It’s the equivalent of a 50-years-in-the-making answer record." -David Fear, Rolling Stone
Best Director / Best Screenplay - Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain
Best Spanish Film - Fotogratas de Plata
Best Picture - International Cinephile Society Awards
Tickets $8.75 ($8 cash at the door if available).
Saturday, half-capacity
