Close Your Eyes (2023 film)
Close Your Eyes () is a 2023 Spanish-Argentine drama film directed by Víctor Erice which stars Manolo Solo, José Coronado, and Ana Torrent.

It had its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2023.

Plot 
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.

Cast

Production 
The project (marking Erice's first full-length picture since the 1992 docudrama The Quince Tree Sun) was revealed upon the disclosure of the allocation of public funding to film productions by Andalusian regional broadcaster Canal Sur in mid 2022. It 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 . The screenplay was penned by Erice along with Michel Gaztambide.

Shooting locations included Castell de Ferro and Gualchos (province of Granada) and Aguadulce (province of Almería), as well as Asturias and Madrid.

Release 
The film was selected to be screened in the Cannes Premiere section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 22 May 2023. 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. 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. 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". The film made it to the Centrepiece programme of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Distributed by Avalon, it is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 29 September 2023.  acquired distribution rights in France, where a 16 August 2023 theatrical release date was set. New Wave Films acquired United Kingdom and Ireland distribution rights.

Reception 
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.

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

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".

See also 
 List of Spanish films of 2023

References

External links 
 

2023 films
2023 drama films
Films directed by Víctor Erice
Films shot in the province of Granada
Films shot in the province of Almería
Films shot in Asturias
Films shot in Madrid
Films about film directors and producers
Films about actors
Films scored by Federico Jusid
2020s Spanish-language films
Spanish drama films
Argentine drama films
Films set in 2012
2020s Spanish films
2020s Argentine films