Open Your Eyes

“Write something you son of a bitch.”  

With those words, one writer - alone in his apartment - opens doors to his past that are better left closed, sealed, or perhaps nailed shut.  Opening with a bizarre sequence which has the lead character in a series of interesting and head-scratching situations, Open Your Eyes challenges us to question what we see . . . constantly.

"challenges us to question what we see . . . constantly"


Jason Miller (Ry Barrett, The Heretics, Still the Water) is an odd guy.  There is something unsettling that troubles him and the event is bleeding into his present situation as he sits staring at his computer working on an overdue screenplay.  What they are might seem random and domestic in nature, but they lead to is a very dark place indeed.  And Barrett puts on a very accomplished one-man show as the writer haunted by the past.

Suspense crosses paths with the mysterious and shocking in Open Your Eyes, a thriller that most writers will be able to identify with as it tackles severe writer’s block in the face of the traumatic.  This is a suspense journey into the mind as the clicking and clacking of desktop keys are interrupted by all sorts of knocks, meows, and - in a sharp turn of events - his own mental INstability.

And it begins with a leak that comes slipping and sliding down his apartment wall.  It reeks.  In an effort to get to the bottom of the unwanted sight and stench, Jason goes upstairs but there is no answer, yet the leak continues, seeping into his unconscious mind.

Co-starring Joanna Saul (Limited, Overlord) as his neighbor, Lisa, Open Your Eyes works as a twisting exploration of mental exhaustion.  She comes to his apartment in search of coffee grounds and even Jason, standing perplexed in his own kitchen, can't seem to recall where he has stored them.  Keep in mind, he has two drinks throughout this film: coffee and liquor.  He's losing it.   Open Your Eyes

The cinematography is on point.  Filmed by Gary Elmer, the individual scenes work in unison to create a hypnotizing experience for the viewer as Jason finds himself in a constant state of confusion thanks to the mysterious situations circling around Jason.  Even as something other than coffee seems to be brewing between Lisa and him.  

The question is whether or not their budding relationship can withstand the creepiness that is stalking him in and outside of his apartment.  Or is it a part of it, too?  There’s no telling what this film has up its proverbial sleeve because, considering the state of Jason’s fragmented and haunted mind, he’s lucky he even remembers his name.

Written and directed by Greg A. Sager (Devil Seed, Kingdom Come) Open Your Eyes is a genre-bending mix of horror and drama as his past literally comes sneaking up behind him.  The midnight oil is going to burn him!  Suddenly, everything is questioned as he finds his grip loosening on his own sense of control.

Open Your Eyes is now available on VOD, DVD & Blu-Ray from Matchbox Pictures.  Are you ready for the twist?!  Keep your peepers open!

3/5 stars

Film Details

Open Your Eyes

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Greg A . Sager
Writer:
Greg A . Sager
Cast:
Ry Barrett, Joanna Saul, Julianna Suzanne Bailey
Genre
: Drama | Mystery
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor:
Gravitas Ventures
Official Site: http://matchboxpictures.ca/
Release Date:
VOD/BLU-RAY/DVD - JUNE 1 
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
VOD/BLU-RAY/DVD - JUNE 1.
Synopsis: In Open Your Eyes, Jason Miller (Ry Barrett) dives head first into his newest screenplay in an attempt to avoid dealing with a traumatic experience. With his mental state teetering on the edge, he meets Lisa (Joanna Saul), his neighbor from down the hall, and a relationship begins to form. As he becomes more intrigued with Lisa, Jason continues to burn the midnight oil to finish his script, strange and mysterious things begin to happen, causing him to question everything. With his mind unravelling and his life spinning out of control, Jason struggles to hold onto the one thing he wants most, hope.

Art

Open Your Eyes