Movie Review – A ojos cerrados

If you have an hour to spare, it will be well spent watching this Costa Rican film.  “A ojos cerrados” literally means “to closed eyes”, and it is a refreshing change from commercial box-office hype!  Set in Costa Rica and written and directed by Hernan Jiminez, it is a beautiful story of the relationship between a 27 year old career-oriented woman, Delia, and her aged grandparents who are her only family.  Their lives are depicted in a simple yet poignant manner, and easily identifiable with our own.  Delia’s fast-paced, high-pressure career sees her rushing to work without breakfast each morning, much to her grandmother’s disapproval.  In stark contrast, her grandparents’ slow-paced life revolves around daily struggles like getting to the marketplace in their old jalopy, juggling heavy shopping bags, dealing with a broken water heater, and other every day mundane things.  Her grandmother is the sole caretaker of house and family, while her grandfather potters around his garden and tries to get acquainted with the concept of email communication!

Although the generation gap is obvious, it is touching to see both sides trying to bridge that gap, be it Delia’s grandfather’s attempt at setting up an email account, or Delia seeking her grandmother’s advice on a recent promotion.  “What makes you happy?” she asks her grandmother philosophically, when the high of the day’s events is long gone by nightfall.   The story takes a turn when Delia’s grandmother dies suddenly, and she is faced with her grandfather’s silent yet palpable grief, the running of the house which she knows nothing about (not even where the coffee powder is kept!), her grandmother’s dying request that her ashes be emptied into the Caribbean Sea, all while trying to juggle a high profile work assignment and appease her impatient boss.

What I loved most about the film is the emotion, beautifully portrayed by the actors, sometimes without a single word - like the simple gestures of love between the old couple, the old man’s inability to ‘open his eyes’ to the absence of his wife or to let her go, Delia’s tender concern and patience (and sometimes impatience) with her grandfather.  It helps you understand and appreciate a little better, the outlook of a person in their twilight years. The simplicity of the storyline is no deterrent.  If anything, it adds to the charm of the film and makes it that much more tangible.  The actors are fantastic, the scenery is breathtaking (makes me want to visit Costa Rica right away!), the soundtrack is beautifully haunting and apt.  If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be “real”.  Everything about this movie is so real, that it makes you forget you’re watching a movie.  My friend Lokesh, who introduced me to the film, says that he gets a different perspective and meaning from the film each time he watches it.  What better reason to watch a film again and again!  I would definitely recommend it to anyone!