FAQ

《見鬼》Gin gwai (English: The Eye) is based on a screenplay by Chinese twin-brother screenwriters and directors, Danny Pang Fat and Oxide Pang Chun. They say that they were inspired to write the screenplay for The Eye by a report they had seen in a Hong Kong newspaper about a 16-year-old girl who had received a corneal transplant and committed suicide soon after. Gin gwai was followed by two sequels: The eye 2 - renaissances (2004) (2004) and The eye 3 - L'au-delà (2005) (2005). The movie was also remade in English as The Eye (2008) (2008).

Violinist Wong Kar Mun (Angelica Lee), blind since the age of two, undergoes a corneal transplant. She not only receives the gift of eyesight, but second sight as well. At first, Mun can't see the difference between a human being and a ghost, but she soon comes to realize that death often follows, particularly when they are accompanied by a tall, thin, shadowy figure. Consequently, Mun and her doctor, Wah (Lawrence Chou), travel to Bangkok, Thailand to meet the family of her donor and figure out what is going on.

It was filmed in Cantonese. There are also a few phrases in Thai, Mandarin, and English. English subtitles are available.

He got his report card from school and lost it, but his parents didn't believe him. They thought he did badly and yelled at him. So he killed himself. That's why he pops up ever so often asking if Mun has seen his report card.

This is based on the Chinese cultural belief that things that are burning or have been burned are changed into a form of energy that can be used in the afterlife. Consequently, the departed are honored by burning incense, white candles, and paper money.

The ability to see ghosts is explained as "supernatural sight" and is experienced by people other than Mun. What makes Mun different is that everything is fresh to her eyes, so she can't tell the difference between human beings and ghosts. There is the suggestion that she is seeing things in the same way as her donor did, but whether the ability is innate in Mun (but unrealized until her sight is restored) or a result of something passed between her and Ling is not addressed in the movie.

On their way back to the airport to return to Hong Kong, Mun and Wah's bus is held up in traffic. Looking out the window, Mun is suddenly aware of many shadowy figures walking along the road. She walks up the road to where there has been a collision involving a car and a tanker and realizes that there is going to be an accident and that many people are going to die in a fire, much in the same manner as her cornea donor saw. She begins to run from car to car, warning people to run for their lives but, like Ling, her warning is mostly misunderstood and ignored. Wah awakens and runs after Mun, while the police start ordering cars to move. Suddenly, an explosion takes out the tanker, which has been leaking gas fumes along the road, and the flames rapidly move down the long line of cars. Wah leaps on Mun, forcing her to the ground but not before pieces of shattered glass stab her in the eyes. In the final scene, Mun is walking down the street in Hong Kong, feeling her way with her cane. In a voiceover, she says, Ever since that day, Ling never appeared again. I hold no resentment towards her, since I saw and experienced the same pain that she did. But aside from pain, I saw beauty. I no longer question why I am blind...for I have seen some of the most beautiful things in this world. Things I'll never forget. She walks up to Wah and smiles.