The Eye on the Nape

"El ojo en la nuca" literally means "The eye on the back of the neck" (or eyes on the back of one's head, as English speakers would think of it). The title refers to dwelling on the past instead of moving forward, which is one of the main themes of the film. A man who lost his father to a corrupt military regime as a child tracks down the general responsible years later, seeking revenge. I saw this film in college as part of a Spanish course, and it has stuck with me as a powerful cautionary tale.

When I looked it up on here, I was floored by the pathetically low rating, which as of this writing is 3.6. The only reasons I can think of for such a low rating are that either the material hit a bit too close to home for some viewers who may have experienced this era, or the users thought the movie was depressing. Which, by the way, is a bad reason to give a movie a low rating. In fact, I suspect that the rating of 3.6 may be due in some part to other students who had the same curriculum seeing this film and giving it a 1 because it is bleak. I can only hope that more people will see it and appreciate it for what it is.

The plot is well-crafted and emotionally involving, the acting is good, the cinematography is great, and the film has something important to say. We are told to "forgive and forget," but "El ojo en la nuca" examines what can happen when someone simply cannot do that.

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Pablo, a man who witnessed the murder of his father as a child. Pablo believes that General Diáz is the man responsible for killing his father, and is obsessed with getting revenge. He decides to take advantage of an archaic law permitting duels. The short film follows Pablo's quest for revenge. The film is completely in Spanish, of course. I really enjoyed watching it. It has an original and interesting storyline, based on the true-life events surrounding "Los Desaparecidos." I thought the acting was very convincing. An added bonus is that Gael Garcia Bernal is easy on the eyes ;-) This movie was part of a series of short films we watched in one of my college Spanish classes. Other movies in this series were Encrucijada, La milpa, Nada que perder, and Un día con Angela.

In the 70's, in the military dictatorship in Uruguay, the boy Pablo witness the death of his father by General Díz (Walter Reyno). After the amnesty, Pablo (Gael García Bernal) challenges General Díz for a duel, using an ancient law forgotten by the authorities, with tragic consequences.

"El Ojo en la Nuca" shows the effect of the military dictatorship in South America in a man that lost his father when he was a boy. The unfair amnesty that released torturers and criminals of this period and the price for the principle "an eye for an eye" is sadly shown in this reasonable short. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Olho na Nuca" ("The Eye in the Nape")