By Ella Raphael
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Synopsis Having won seven Goya awards in 2004, one for best picture and best director. Nominated for an Ariel award, clearly this is an important film to see. Set in Toledo Spain, the film follows protagonist Pilar, in her violent and complex relationship with Antonio. We start by seeing Pilar running away with her son in the middle of the night to her sister’s place, traumatized and full of fear. She eventually arrives to her sister’s house, where she remains in hiding from Antonio. While at her sisters place, she finds a job as a receptionist at a tourist office. Antonio seeks her out and tries to win her over again proclaiming he will change. He joins a men’s therapy group to try and control his anger management, in the group we hear about men’s violent actions towards their wives.
Pilar is torn by her son Juan and his will to see his father and the new attention she is receiving from Antonio who swarms her with gifts and kind letters at work. At first this is very distressing for Pilar, because of her fear to return to an abusive relationship however she still loves Antonio, and eventually falls back into a relationship with him. She slowly fall back into his charming ways, it feels like the beginning again, she keeps their relationship a secret at first. When her sister finds out that she is with Antonio, she is extremely baffled disappointed with Pilar. Their mother is conformed to rigid ways and seems to be turning an eye on the situation. She tells Pilar to go back to Antonio, and that a woman should
not be alone. When at her sister Ana’s wedding, Pilar invites Antonio. Her and Ana have a fight about how she’s with Antonio again. Pilar says to her “ Ana, you would never understand you’ve always had it easy in life” leaves the wedding in the middle. Antonio begins to have less control over his anger when Pilar does not answer the phone one day, he becomes short tempered and aggressive. Pilar starts to study to become an art’s guide in the museum. Antonio, spy’s on Pilar at work, he notices how she feels in her element at the museum, this makes Antonio threatened. He feels a threat when he see’s Pilar’s as independence, economical growth and confidence. This prompts the feelings of doubt in himself translates into violence. As Pilar is becoming more successful as a museum guide, she is asked to interview for a higher position in Madrid, she tells this to Antonio, already fearful of his reaction. The morning of her interview we see Antonio explode in anger when he sees her dressing nicely the day, he assaults her and rips off her clothes. After such a humiliation Pilar says she is going to leave him and that she doesn’t love him anymore, Antonio threatens suicide cutting himself, ending the night in the hospital. The film ends with Pilar leaving Antonio.
Iciar Bollaín Icíar Bollaín, is the most important female director in contemporary Spanish film history. Born in Madrid to a liberal family she and her twin sister both showed interest in the Arts. Her sister in opera singing and Bollaín towards filmmaking. She started off as an actress, at the age of sixteen was cast in Víctor Erice's El Sur (1983). Since then she has acted in fourteen films, with highly acclaimed directors, such as Felipe Vega and Ken Loach who tackle social issues in their films. At the age of 23 Bollaín formed a production company which she named La Iguana and made two short films: Baja Corazón (1992) and Los Amigos del muerto (1994). In 1995 she made her first feature film Hola, ¿estás sola? (Hi, are you alone)? as director with support from producer Fernando Colomo. Her second feature film Flores de otro mundo (Flowers from another world in English) (1999), which she co-wrote with Julio Llamazares. Her directing debut at 25 with Baja corazón. In 2003 she received achieved her breakthrough with Te doy mis ojos, addressing the importance of tackling domestic violence. The film received critical success winning 7 Goya awards. Bollaín has gone to direct over 14 films: flors de outro mundo (1999), Mataharis (2007), film Tambien la Lluvia (2010). She is producer and screenplay writer as well. In addition she is former Director of the Spanish Film Academy. Her recent success, the film Yuli (2018) received 5 Goya nominations and tells the story of Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta also dealing with family abuse as a side story, a powerful story, very much recommended. I find Icíar Bollaín, extraordinarily talented and having powerful social messages exposed to the public through her form of Art, Filmmaking.
Pilar Pilar is delicate woman. We see in her personality elements of a woman who has suffered much pain. Closed off body language, moves very quickly, she is carrying a weight with her and that is felt in her presence. She is also beautiful and strong in a very real and vulnerable way. We see her joyous at times, but maybe guilt makes that disappear fairly quickly. Fear is a big part of her, some parts we get little glimpses of Pilar forgetting her fear. She is dedicated as a mother and as a wife, she is silent, in her movements and soft spoken. Pilar expresses an interest in art and the stories behind the art. We see her blossom when she talks about art as a museum guide. She is sensitive, observant and intelligent. Unfortunately we see how her fear and damage, from her relationship prevents her from reaching her full potential.
Antonio Antonio rarely shows an emotion that is vulnerable, he suffers from deep lack of confidence. He sell’s fridges and says he wants a simple “normal life�. Anytime he is threatened he uses violence as a mechanism to deal with his low self-esteem. He deals with this through the only person that is actually close to him, uses violence on Pilar. He has a great amount of anger and emotion, that he conceals to the public and shows himself as someone closed off. Something about his behavior is almost childlike, in certain situations when he was with the therapist, he wants to make a change, but his stubbornness and ego seem to get in the way. I would say Antonio is sensitive. Someone who abuses the people close to him, either lacks sensitivity or is overly sensitive in a twisted way he is very impulsive and entitled.
Ana- Ana is supportive sister, she
has a good life partner from Scotland, who seems to be a kind man. She disagrees with her mothers rigid ways. We see the love Ana has for Pilar and how her relationship with Antonio causes a strain in the two sisters relationship. Ana is a rock for Pilar to lean on and Pilar is thankful for this. When Pilar is in crisis she turns to Ana.
Aurora- Aurora is conservative, she believes a woman should not be alone. She has love for her children. She is from an older generation. We see Aurora turns a blind eye on Pilar’s relationship. Even more so Aurora encourages Pilar to return to Antonio saying that Juan needs a father figure and that they should work it out. We later learn that Aurora was abused in her relationship with her husband.
Sounds Diegetic- this is a central part of how we feel fear and violence in the film. The heavy panicky breathing, we hear gasps, sighs, shaking. Doors slamming, heavy footsteps, smashing of his phone. The power of sounds and footsteps, cries are all so vital in expression of fear and terror, they are a result of being petrified, or rage. non-Diegetic sounds- the soundtrack of the film was scored by Alberto Iglesias a beautiful dramatic dark arrangement of classical music, with strings piano and clarinet. We also have a Scottish band playing at the wedding. This due to Ana’s husband to be who is from Scotland, a nice way to culturally incorporate Scottish culture and heritage. Nature sounds when we hear the water/winds when they sit by the river. Usually the scenes when Antonio and Pilar sit by the river are Romanic intimate scenes that where they go on their dates.
Emotional Range Te doy mis ojos is based on following Pilar’s emotional journey through this tormenting, violent relationship. From the beginning of the film we are met with Pilar’s fear. The film is quite slow in the way things evolve. The pace of the film makes what we see more realistic, Bollaín’s use of time is crucial to how we see the relationship develop. As the film progress’s we get much of the emotional content from glaring, silence that gives a sense of unease, rather than verbalizing feelings. This allows us to analyze both Pilar and Antonio through their facial expressions, tremulous voice, body language. The implicit violence is more present in the film than the explicit violence we see. However, this does not take away from the emotional intensity one feels while watching this film. Bollaín, conveys pain of women who are going through domestic abuse in the deepest of ways. The intertwined manipulation of Antonio, the guilt that Pilar receives from her son and family members, and the overall confusion that comes with loving someone who is so hurtful towards you. As a viewer of this extremely difficult film you get a look at a side in an abusive relationship and the emotional prison that one is found in. The implicit violence that goes into domestic abuse which so important to understand and also forgotten. One man in the therapy group talks about how he abused his wife and explains how one day he understood he had erased his wife’s personality. We are looking closely at the internal damage caused to victims of domestic abuse.
Symbols and Themes ART: We have the art that surrounds us in the museums and the books this is central to Toledo’s history, but also to the relief it gives Pilar in her distressing life. We see El Greco paintings and he is also mentioned. This gives another element that is a disconnect to the intense film, a little bit of depth on another topic. Art is presented in a beautiful way and we see it as a life boat for Pilar she blossoms around art and has much curiosity for it. In one scene she is tour guiding a group and she talks about the colors used and the meaning they have “Green is balance, Blue is depth, White has no sound its painless, Violet is fear”.
Slippers: The slippers are mentioned at the beginning of the film, they are a sort of pathway to the breaking point. When Pilar arrives at her sisters after running away from Antonio in the middle of the night, she realizes she still has her slippers. She starts to breakdown crying in front of her sisters saying, “I’m sorry I forget my shoes I’m in my slippers”. This is was obviously not the reason for her being so emotional, but it was the trigger for her to breakdown. Later her sister laughs with her in the museum and the hospital commenting on people and paintings that look sad or worried Ana says to Pilar “look she also realized she forgot her slippers” giving a little bit of comic life boat, which is much needed in this film.
Clothing: A lot of comments from Antonio are made about Pilar’s clothing, one day he sees her in her red uniform coming back from work and he lets her know he doesn’t approve of her outfit. The trigger that started the last and very intense scene in the balcony was because he saw she was wearing something that looked fitting on her. Antonio links Pilar looking nice with his lack of confidence, he wants to control her, so she doesn’t attract other men in the way she looks and then perhaps leave him. Most of the film we see Pilar wearing conservative clothing, turtle necks, no makeup. There is also a scene where Pilar throughs her wedding dress over the roof after feeling pressure from her mother and sister who are quarreling about what she should do with her relationship with Antonio. This image of the wedding dress over the wire in the air is a sign if a broken marriage.
Te doy mis ojos - most memorable scene I have never seen a film that made me feel the way that this scene did. In this scene, Pilar tells Antonio she has an interview for the Prado museum in Madrid, he storms out. The next day we see Antonio asleep on the coach and Pilar quietly steps in to take her dress for the interview, Antonio wakes up, comes behind her while she is getting dressed and says “you want everyone to look at you today with that outfit, don’t you” Pilar does not respond, then he screams “look at me when I talk to you” Pilar responds “I want to look presentable”. The scene quickly escalates when Antonio brings up the Art book that he bought for Pilar, starts ripping out the paintings and screaming at her to tell him about how these goddesses are having sex and menopause and enjoying themselves. He then rips open her dress saying, “you want everyone to look at you don’t you”, pushes her to the ground and completely strips her naked, locks her outside of the balcony and says here, “now you can show yourself to all the neighbors”. Pilar is petrified and humiliated crying out to him to let her in, he finally lets her in, chokes her. Due to the state we see Pilar in she urinates on the ground from the fear. He leaves and says now go clean yourself up. This scene is just horrifying to watch, the most difficult scene I have ever watched in the history of film. To reduce someone to that level, take away their every right and then to humiliate in a way that would make someone function with lack of self-restraint is just deeply emotional and devastating to watch.
History and Spain is undergoing, changes in the government with 1982-1996 led by social democratic party PSOE. In the late 90s Spain becomes more conservative. The film is set in Toledo Spain, which is located right in the middle of Spain. Toledo has a rich History and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its monumental and cultural heritage. It is the City of three Cultures for cultural influences of Christians, Muslims and Jews. There is something deeply rooted and felt while walking the streets of Toledo. One can feel a heaviness too historic content and beauty of the streets and architecture.
Conclusion This film so realistically captures the many aspects of domestic abuse. The promises from the abuser who says he will change. The pace of fear the transparency of the emotion and how it can takes over someone’s life. The way we see how Antonio try’s to change his behavior in therapy group, but he is still too attached to his anger and impulsive behavior. Icíar Bollaín, is a remarkable film maker and her sensitivity towards the subject is touching. The film evoked deep emotion in me. Bollaín, gives us little clues to explain behavior we see, a slow but heavy release of how the film develops. For example, Antonio’s brother who seems to be more successful than Antonio and also makes comments that are demeaning to him. These subtitle’s, slowly add more and more foundation to our understanding of these characters and their stories. The actors are spectacular. When we see Antonio play with Juan football, he plays an aggressive way, he also manipulates Juan into telling him about his mother. Antonio says to Juan if you lie to me remember “you are a worthless zero”. We see violence in his verbalization too. The many factors Bollaín so cleverly thought of to show all aspects of the abuser and the victim. I find it distressing how woman are still controlled by men, like in the old days. Thus she is helpless. I believe this film should be watched as an educational institutions, to start conversing about this subject that is still taboo. If just from a film I felt so much pain for two hours, I can’t begin to imagine the hurt Pilar and other women in her situation feel.
Questions for Icíar Bollaín • Why did you choose to make this film about the subject of domestic abuse? • Having cried watching Te doy mis ojos, I don’t cry in many films. You strike straight to the heart of the viewer in a way that not many films have not managed to do. What do you think it is about your films that strike the viewer in a way that’s so emotional? • Did you study domestic abuse in preparation for the film? If so, in what way did you do so?
Sources : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ic%C3%ADar_Bolla%C3%ADn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/take-myeyes-2006