Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes

There is an interesting turn here that reminded me of another (not exactly) horror movie. I won't reveal movie's title in order for keeping my review spoiler-free. When i watched this particular turn of events, i hoped this was going to be good. It's not. It's not bad either though. A horror fan might appreciate some things here, there are some creepy scenes, nice 70's aesthetic and cinematography. There are mysteries too. It's an open to interpretation movie, but you will find some hints here and there. This movie's concept/main theme is similar to DARK's, i mean the great German Tv show. At least, i think so.

Unfortunately, there are negatives too. I didn't like the acting here, it was weird. I think that this was intentionally weird, like other movie's aspects. They wanted to create a hallucination for the viewer. I get that, it was a risky move, i respect that but i didn't like it. It felt more amateurish than artistic. If you want to create a bizarre experience for the viewer, a certain amount of talent is needed. Director and writers here are not talentless but not talented enough to achieve something so difficult.

Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes tells the story of a disruptive couple in a '60s gothic setting.

Margot (Luisa Taraz) has inherited a castle, which is visited with her curmudgeonly husband Dieter (played superbly by Frederik von Lüttichau).

The first half skillfully delivers a psychogram of this toxic relationship, amid the surreal castle where space and time seem to have their own rules.

But it is in the second half that the film takes an unexpected new direction - and everything that happened before is reinterpreted once again.

Visually stunning with a great soundtrack and very clever screenplay, this is definitely a film that needs to be watched a second time to fully grasp all the different layers hidden in the story.

While I was expecting a somewhat decent homage to gothic horror of the 70s, Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes goes much deeper.

Now, don't get me wrong - the film is a loving tribute to Euro horror of the 60s and 70s and especially fans of Bava and Rollin will be sure to have a great time - but I was particularly impressed by the shift (both narratively and in tone) the story takes around the halfway mark.

Without spoiling anything, I can say that the story evolves and morphs into something much more profound and thought provoking than it first appears - resulting in a unique cinema experience that is as visually captivating as it is clever.

Whether you love the movie (like I did) or hate it (as some surely will) - one can't help but admire Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes for it's brazen attempt at narrative structure that succeeds in averting expectations again and again.

The film deals with the idea of being trapped in interesting ways.

Whereas the characters are quite literally trapped in space and time, wether in the castle as a whole, or locked into a room, the theme goes much deeper than that.

Similar to people unknowingly being stuck in a painting or in an endlessly repeating movie forced to live through their mistakes, these characters are stuck in patterns and bad relationships, hoping for their partners to change instead of taking responsibility and changing themselves by ending the relationships and thus breaking the cycle.

The director does this by exploring a relationship from different angles and realities, first offering a glimpse into the fictional creation of this relationship before diving into the meaning behind it all and how it relates to their reality. Fascinating stuff!

Casual viewers might find the story nonsensical or confusing, but those who are willing to explore it's endless puzzles will be deeply rewarded.

Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes is a film as mysterious and enchanting as it's title (and the gorgeous poster) suggests.

Exploring one relationship throughout parallel realities, it's definitely a film that needs multiple viewings, due to it's puzzle box nature. But it's a gorgeous and atmospheric film I can't wait to explore again and again.