``Close Your Eyes'' and ``I am Ana'' spells, return of gaze

Head south!

"With relief, humiliation and horror he realized that he too was a mirage, dreamed up by someone else." (Jorge Luis Borges, "The Ruins of the Circle")

The disappearance of Julio Arenas is the subject of a television documentary that deals with "cold cases." Miguel, who gave up his job as a film director to become a novelist and translator, appears on the show, partly for financial reasons. The show encourages Miguel to reunite with his friends from back then, and through their conversations, he gradually uncovers Julio's memories. However, the memories and impressions of Julio shared by various people seem to shed light on how Miguel himself was "viewed" by others. There is an anxiety that I may be an "illusion" created by others, and a question about identity.

“Close Your Eyes” © 2023 La Mirada del Adiós AIE, Tandem Films SL, Nautilus Films SL, Pecado Films SL, Pampa Films SA

The first half of "Close Your Eyes" has a melancholic mood. However, when Miguel travels south from Madrid to Granada, the film's tone changes little by little. Víctor Erice's " El Sur " (1983) was originally supposed to be a single film with both the northern and southern episodes. The film is known as an "unfinished" work because the producers withdrew their funding midway through filming (though there is no doubt that it is a masterpiece nonetheless). Víctor Erice's film, which was never able to go south, finally heads south.

The glittering landscape of Granada overlooking the sea is like a location for a movie from the past. Miguel holds his guitar and sings "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" from " Rio Bravo " (59). What makes this scene so moving is not only that it is a reference to film history, but that it captures another side of Miguel, a new expression. Here we see a smile and cheerful song that Miguel has never shown before. The gray screen turns red. There is a live feeling of a movie, a documentary quality. Miguel has a different face between his friends in Madrid and his friends in Granada. Just as an actor plays various roles, Miguel plays various roles, almost unconsciously. A person's personality may be defined by others, not by himself.

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