Take My Eyes

Take My Eyes
Take My Eyes
	Theatrical release poster
Spanish	Te doy mis ojos
Directed by	Icíar Bollaín
Written by	Icíar Bollaín; Alicia Luna;
Produced by	Santiago García de Leániz
Starring	Laia Marull; Luis Tosar; Candela Peña; Rosa María Sardá; Sergi Calleja; Kiti Manver;
Cinematography	Carles Gusi
Edited by	Ángel Hernández Zoido
Music by	Alberto Iglesias
Distributed by	Sogepaq
Release date	2003;
Running time	109 min.
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Take My Eyes (Spanish: Te doy mis ojos, lit. 'I Give You My Eyes') is a 2003 Spanish drama film directed and co-written by Icíar Bollaín, starring Laia Marull and Luis Tosar. Critically acclaimed for its unclichéd treatment of domestic violence, it won seven Goya Awards in 2004, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Shooting locations included Toledo.^[1]

Plot

Pilar, a meek housewife living in Toledo, gathers a few belongings one night and flees her apartment with her seven-year-old son, Juan. They find shelter with Pilar's sister, Ana, who is to marry her Scottish live-in boyfriend. Pilar's husband, Antonio, tries to make her change her mind, but she is tired and fearful due to his abusive behavior. Determined to start a new life on her own, Pilar sends her sister to retrieve her belongings from the apartment she shared with Antonio. Once there, Ana discovers through medical bills that her sister has been physically abused by Antonio. When he arrives, Ana confronts him.

Trying to bring Pilar back, Antonio joins an anger management group for married men. With her sister's encouragement, Pilar finds a job in the gift shop of a local tourist attraction, where Ana also works restoring paintings. Pilar begins to study in order to become a tour guide.

Despite Ana's protests, her mother Aurora invites Antonio to Juan's birthday party. Pilar still has feelings towards Antonio despite his abusive behavior. Juan misses his father and Pilar begins to soften her attitude towards her husband. When they have a chance to talk, Antonio tells her he wants to change and is enrolled in group therapy. Pilar soon warms up to him again, and they begin to sneak out for secret meetings and romantic encounters. Pilar, with the full support of her mother, takes Antonio to Ana's wedding. The two sisters argue after Pilar tells Ana that she is going back to her husband. At first, Pilar and Antonio seem happy together. Encouraged by his wife, Antonio continues with his anger management therapy. However, he feels threatened by Pilar's economic independence, as she continues to work in the gift shop.

Pilar applies for a job as a tour guide in a museum in Madrid. They would have to leave Toledo and live in Madrid, but Antonio is afraid to move, fearing it would be difficult for him to find an equivalent level of job in Madrid. Pilar's efforts to convince him that if she gets the job and they move to Madrid it would be beneficial fall on deaf ears. The day of her job interview, as a coworker is waiting for her outside the flat to take her there, Antonio explodes in anger. He tears off Pilar's clothes and locks her stark naked in the balcony for all the neighbors to see. After this humiliation, Pilar threatens to leave Antonio, who responds by attempting suicide by cutting. After this final assault, Pilar leaves Antonio for good.

Cast

Laia Marull as Pilar
Luis Tosar as Antonio
Candela Peña as Ana
Rosa María Sardá as Aurora
Kiti Manver as Rosa
Sergi Calleja as Therapist
Elisabet Gelabert [ca] as Lola
Nicolás Fernández Luna as Juan
David Mooney as John
Chus Gutiérrez as Raquel
Elena Irureta as Carmen

Reception

Critics praised it for its internal conflict and mature depiction of domestic violence.

Accolades


Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2004	18th Goya Awards	Best Film		Won	^[2]
		Best Director	Iciar Bollain	Won
		Best Original Screenplay	Iciar Bollain, Alicia Luna	Won
		Best Actor	Luis Tosar	Won
		Best Actress	Laia Marull	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Candela Peña	Won
		Best New Actress	Elisabet Gelabert	Nominated
		Best Sound	Eva Valiño, Pelayo Gutiérrez, Alfonso Pino, José Luis Crespo	Won
		Best Editing	Ángel Hernández Zoido	Nominated
	13th Actors and Actresses Union Awards	Best Film Actress in a Leading Role	Laia Marull	Won	^[3]
		Best Film Actor in a Leading Role	Luis Tosar	Won
		Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role	Candela Peña	Won
2005	47th Ariel Awards	Best Ibero-American Film		Nominated	^[4]

References

^ "Icíar Bollaín estrena en Toledo 'Te doy mis ojos'". El Mundo. 10 October 2003.
^ "Te doy mis ojos". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
^ Benito, Miren Lucía (10 May 2004). "'Aquí no hay quien viva' y 'Te doy mis ojos', grandes ganadoras en los Premios Unión de Actores". elmundo.es.
^ "Entrega del Ariel a lo mejor del Cine Mexicano". Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematograficas. 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2022-04-28.

External links

Take My Eyes at IMDb
Take My Eyes at AllMovie

[1] "Icíar Bollaín estrena en Toledo 'Te doy mis ojos'". El Mundo. 10 October 2003.

[2] "Te doy mis ojos". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 15 September 2022.

[3] Benito, Miren Lucía (10 May 2004). "'Aquí no hay quien viva' y 'Te doy mis ojos', grandes ganadoras en los Premios Unión de Actores". elmundo.es.

[4] "Entrega del Ariel a lo mejor del Cine Mexicano". Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematograficas. 2005. Archived from the original on 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2022-04-28.

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