The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

Horror, Drama

Director: Nicolas Pesce
Writer: Nicolas Pesce
Starring: Diana Agostini, Olivia Bond, Will Brill, Joey Curtis-Green

In their secluded farmhouse, a mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, teaches her daughter, Francisca, to understand anatomy and be unfazed by death. One afternoon, a mysterious visitor shatters the idyll of Francisca's family life, deeply traumatizing the young girl, but also awakening unique curiosities. Though she clings to her increasingly reticent father, Francisca's loneliness and scarred nature converge years later when her longing to connect with the world around her takes on a dark form.

Shot in crisp black and white, the haunting visual compositions evoke its protagonist's isolation and illuminate her deeply unbalanced worldview. Genre-inflected, but so strikingly unique as to defy categorization, writer/director Nicolas Pesce's feature debut allows only an elliptical presence in Francisca's world, guiding our imaginations to follow her into peculiar, secret places.

Plot summary from IMDb: In their secluded farmhouse, a mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, teaches her daughter, Francisca, to understand anatomy and be unfazed by death. One afternoon, a mysterious visitor shatters the idyll of Francisca's family life, deeply traumatizing the young girl, but also awakening unique curiosities. Though she clings to her increasingly reticent father, Francisca's loneliness and scarred nature converge years later when her longing to connect with the world around her takes on a dark form.

Awards: 5 wins & 10 nominations.
Runtime: 76 min
R