Close Your Eyes

Close Your Eyes (aka Doctor Sleep) has all the makings of a horror sleeper. I hadn't heard anything about it, and thought the DVD box looked interesting, so I picked it up. I'm used to renting bad movies that have great packaging, so I didn't hold out any great hopes for this one.

Surprisingly, this movie has some taut moments and manages to sustain a fairly creepy vibe throughout. There are some logic gaps in the story, and most of them have to do with police procedure, but even with those problems the movie ends up being very watchable. I was left a little unfulfilled by the ending, but overall it's a better than average thriller. Should have been a sleeper hit.

Nick Willing's thriller "Close your eyes" came as a total surprise as all I had read about the film was negative. Not only it is a mystery, but it keeps you engrossed in every twist and turn.

This is the story of an American analyst, Dr. Michael Strother, who is working underground in London, treating patients who want to quit smoking. The visuals of the opening credits and the session with detective Janet Losey, are done with a cinematic sense that shows a lot of style from the creative team behind the director.

This is a film that keeps the viewer engrossed in all what is happening on screen. There's never a dull moment as everything evolves in a logical and intelligent manner.

The acting is flawless. The casting of Goran Visnjic, as Dr. Strother is excellent, as this actor makes one feel as though what is happening to him is a reflection of his failure in America. With his good dark looks and accent, he creates a complex character without much effort, or so it seems.

As the detective, Shirley Henderson is equally good as the detective that will not give up in the pursuit of the evil force behind what has been done to the little girl at the center of the story.

The rest of the cast is equally good. Fiona Shaw's Catherine Lebourg is equally spooky as she is mysterious. Paddy Considine as Elliot, is a key in solving the case.

The film is for lovers of the genre. It won't disappoint.

Gorin Visnic pulled this movie off well. I was unsure of his acting outside of ER. The movie has a cool plot, and there a few leaps we must make with character actions and general believability, but how many supernatural movies don't require such. I'm not saying call the Academy, but as mentioned this is a 'sleeper' movie that will entertain you if you enjoy the supernatural thriller genre. I was glad I rented it, and I'm a bit picky in general. It isn't the fastest paced film as it develops slowly, but you'll probably like it if you like Gorin. The female lead is credible as well, as is Gorin's wife in the film. The Supernatural element of the movie was a new one to me, which is further reason I'm taking the time to write this, as I thank those who have done such for me, as it drives a fair amount of my 'tweener' rentals. Ciao!

Written and directed by Nick Willing, "Close Your Eyes" (aka "Doctor Sleep") is a taut, highly effective British thriller that supplements its crime drama scenario with generous helpings of the supernatural and paranormal.

Michael Strother is a hypnotherapist who has returned to England with his pregnant wife and young daughter after seven years living in the States. Strother is asked by one of his patients, a policewoman named Janet Losey, to bring his professional expertise to bear on one of her most baffling cases, that of a little girl who's managed to escape the clutches of a serial killer but who has been rendered mute by the experience. Strother's involvement leads to complications not only with the highly skeptical police force who are less than thrilled at the prospect of having a hynotherapist working on the case, but with his wife as well who fears that any untoward publicity might reflect badly on her husband's career. Of even more concern is the fact that Strother's involvement might also be making him and his own family a target of the killer.

It would hardly be cricket to reveal much more of the plot here, so I'll just say that "Close Your Eyes" boasts a better-than-average storyline, intriguing characters, an effective back story involving Strother's past in America, and enough genuine suspense to help us ride up and over some of the inconsistencies and absurdities inherent in the material. And if the resolution comes out as a bit flatfooted - well, that doesn't wind up being too much of a handicap since weak endings seem to be just about par for the course when it comes to these types of films anyway.

The prime selling point of "Close Your Eyes" is that it makes us care about the characters, particularly Strother, who elicits our interest and sympathy from the start. Goran Visnjic and Shirley Henderson make an engaging crime-fighting team with just the right amount of unrequited sexual chemistry bubbling under the surface to add to the tension.

As a director, Willing frequently interrupts the narrative with free-floating flashes of dreams, memories and hypnotic suggestions, reflective of what is occurring in the minds of the characters. The effect is sometimes confusing but almost always effective in ratcheting up the level of mystery and feeling of dislocation necessary for the story. The film is a bit gruesome and gory at times, but the prime focus almost always remains on the character's interactions and the unraveling of the plot. This is a solid, well-crafted thriller.

Hypnotherapist Michael Strother experiences a psychic flash while trying to help policewoman Janet quit smoking. He mentions his vision of a young girl floating just beneath the surface of a stream to Janet, who tells him that the girl is Heather. Heather has recently escaped from the Tattoo Killer and has not spoken a word since. Michael very reluctantly agrees to help Janet in her search for the killer. Traumatized Heather reveals a few clues under hypnosis and geeky researcher Elliot provides still more with his research into the occult. Michael however has reason to worry. His insomnia is back, his guilty memories have been stirred up again, his heavily pregnant wife does not approve of what he's doing, and the killer pays a visit to his house in the dead of night, leaving behind an ominous warning. When Elliot turns up dead and Heather is kidnapped for a second time, Michael and Janet have little time left to discover the whereabouts of an ancient church...one of ten whose locations form a perfect pentagram on the map.

If you're looking for a fast paced splatter fest, filled with gore and excitement and gunfire, skip this film. If you can appreciate a slow, moody, thoughtful psycho- drama with a low budget and lots of good performances, this film is for you. There's plenty of violence, don't get me wrong. A hideous evisceration and a hungry rat make their appearance, but the camera mercifully looks away. For people with morbid imaginations, it is still a difficult scene to watch, as is the squirm-inducing lobotomy scene which fans of the film Session 9 will find familiar. The performances are great, particularly by Goran Visnij as the insomniac Michael who rarely smiles and always looks slightly haunted. He nevertheless seems to be a good husband to Miranda Otto (Eowyn from LOTR) as his heavily pregnant and hormonally irritable wife Clara. Miranda's American accent is flawless and she looks great. Her performance is totally believable. Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter films) as Janet and Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley, also from HP) as the creepy Catherine Lebourg are both almost unrecognizable, turning in stoic, tight-lipped performances which are perfect.

Despite a somewhat predictable and downer ending, this film at least tries to be original and intelligent. The special effects used during the hypnosis scenes are clever and colorful and the mood throughout is heavy with dread. This is a good little film with strong performances, but it's not for everyone. Fans of mainstream horror may be bored silly, but fans of films such as the aforementioned Session 9 and the Chinese ghost story The Eye may enjoy this one as well.