Tagline: How can you believe your eyes when they’re not yours?
The Eye is a thriller about a cornea transplant recipient who sees disturbing images in the mirror that send her on a quest to find out what happened to the eye’s previous owner. The original was made in Hong Kong by Thai directing brothers Danny and Oxide Pang.
Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) is an accomplished, independent, Los Angeles-based concert violinist. She is also blind, and has been so since a childhood tragedy. As our story opens, Sydney undergoes a double corneal transplant, a surgery she has waited her whole life to have, and her sight is restored. After the surgery, neural ophthalmologist Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) helps Sydney with the difficult adjustment, and with the support of her older sister Helen (Parker Posey), Sydney learns to see again.
The Eye is a 2008 American supernatural horror film directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, scripted by Sebastian Gutierrez, and starring Jessica Alba, Parker Posey, Alessandro Nivola, and Rade Šerbedžija. It is a remake of the Pang Brothers’ 2002 film of the same name.
The film opened in second place at the U.S box office with $12.4 million. As of August 10, 2011, the film has a domestic gross of $31,418,697 with a foreign gross of $25,545,945 totaling an international gross of $56,964,642. In the United Kingdom, it grossed $1,398,958 in its opening weekend at #2.
About the Production
How do we judge what is real? Can our eyes be trusted to not mislead, to show things as they are? How do we know that what we are seeing is really there? Over 30,000 Americans undergo corneal transplants each year, and is quickly becoming commonplace procedure. But, what would happen if something unforeseen occurred? THE EYE portrays the terrifying events that befall a young woman, Sydney Wells, who undergoes such a procedure, but she soon discovers her new eyes bring with them far more than she ever expected.
Sydney Wells, the protagonist in THE EYE, is not your typical movie heroine. Blinded in both eyes after a tragic childhood accident, she’s beautiful, confident, and, despite her disability, has managed to achieve a happy, fulfilling life as a successful concert violinist in Los Angeles. At the urging of her sister, Sydney elects to undergo a double corneal transplant in the hopes of regaining her sight.
This life-changing surgery catapults her into a nightmarish odyssey that challenges her most fundamental notions of sanity, identity and perception. Is she experiencing the phenomena of cellular memory, or it something far worse that exceeds the limits of the imagination? For Jessica Alba, the stunning star of such hits as SIN CITY and the FANTASTIC FOUR movies, tackling the role of Sydney offered a unique and exciting opportunity to stretch as an actor and delve into a rich, multi-faceted character.
“Sydney is a challenging part that required a lot of preparation,” says Alba. “I was really looking for the right thriller / horror movie to do, and most of them are slasher, gore-for-gore’s sake and vulgar. But THE EYE is very classy, elegant and beautifully written, and Sydney is such a unique, interesting person. Her journey, the process of regaining her sight and then everything that she faces afterwards, it really intrigued me.”
From Lionsgate and Paramount Vantage, THE EYE is based on the 2002 Asian horror film of the same name written by Jo Jo Yuet-chun Hui, Oxide Pang and Danny Pang and directed by the Chinese filmmaking duo Danny Pang and Oxide Pang. The film, which was an international hit, caught the attention of C/W Productions, who bought the rights for an American remake. “Great films have at their core characters who are trying to achieve something on either a physical or emotional level,” states Paula Wagner. “Alba’s character Sydney overcomes her physical disability,” continues Wagner, “and following cornea transplant she learns that she must rediscover who she is and her place in the world and must learn to handle the emotional changes that come with it.”
Executive Producer Michael Paseornek commented, “The original Asian film is a favorite among critics and horror fans alike. We are excited to be re-inventing this smart thriller with Jessica — our second film with her in a year — as well as with the very respected and creative filmmaker Paula Wager, Don Granger and her team at C/W. Our directors Xavier and David will deliver what we are sure will be an edge-of-your-seat thriller.” In developing the script, C/W producer Don Granger worked closely with screenwriter Sebastian Gutierrez, saying that “there is a fine line when re-interpreting a film that has already garnered international success. It is a constant challenge to improve upon the original source and maintain the integrity of the story.”
While THE EYE is propelled by supernatural elements, the film’s plot hinges on an actual scientific phenomenon known as cellular memory. Explains executive producer Darren Miller, “People who undergo organ transplants have been known to take on behaviors of the individual from whom they received the organ.”
Adds Wagner, “Someone may receive the organ of a smoker, and consequently, they suddenly get this odd desire to smoke. Or, they find themselves strangely being drawn to sports, only to discover their donor was a sports fanatic. Of course, THE EYE is fictional, but explores the real life phenomena and takes it into the supernatural.”
In the search for a director for the project, the producers approached French directing duo David Moreau and Xavier Palud, who gained international acclaim for ILS (THEM), a taut thriller they wrote and directed about a young couple who is terrorized by unseen forces in the French countryside. Of the many horror projects Moreau and Palud were subsequently offered, THE EYE was their favorite. “What we liked was the fact that we could really work on what was not obviously supernatural,” explains Moreau. “There were great opportunities to play with the audience’s minds, to show them things that they couldn’t determine were real.”
Moreau and Palud were intent on maintaining the ambiguity of Sydney’s sanity. Sydney is convinced that the dark and terrifying visions she sees following her operation are real, but her doctor and her sister can’t help but conclude that she’s undergoing a psychological breakdown. Says Alba, “This story is scary in a different way because the audience is never sure if my character really is seeing things or if she’s just losing her mind. Walking that line allows the audience to really put themselves in Sydney’s shoes.”
“I think it’s the unseen that’s always more scary,” adds Moreau. “It’s all about finding the right balance between showing and not showing, and letting the audience use their imagination.”
The French directors clearly remember the moment they first met Alba. “She came in the room and we were both so impressed with her eyes,” Moreau says. “Physically, She was exactly how we pictured Sydney.” On set, the directors were thrilled with Alba’s talent and preparedness. “Every day on the set she surprised us with her commitment to the character,” recalls Moreau. “She was always on the same track as we were.”
Faced with the daunting task of convincing audiences that Sydney is both blind and a violin virtuoso, Alba began preparing for her role four months in advance of the shoot. “The fact that I play a classical violinist was not why I did the movie,” laughs Alba. “It was definitely an interesting thing I had to tackle.” Adds Wagner, “Jessica Alba is a gifted actress who commits to the role and stays committed throughout the process with great integrity. She is a consummate professional and plays the character with subtlety, grace, and authenticity, and it’s really quite an impressive performance.”
The script called for Sydney to play a number of scenes in which her violin skills had to be shown onscreen. The directors were resolute about showing Jessica actually playing the violin, rather than miming the musical performances. “I started taking violin lessons while I was shooting the second FANTASTIC FOUR movie,” says Alba. “I had to train for months just to learn how to hold the bow and violin properly and that’s only half the battle. I’m playing complicated classical pieces in the film, so I had to learn how to actually play the notes.”
“The violin is one of the most difficult instruments to play,” adds Moreau, who has a musical background and plays the piano. “Every violinist will tell you that if you stop practicing for two days, you have to work for months to get it back. Luckily for us, Jessica was a really good student.”
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
The Eye (2008)
Directed by: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Starring: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Rade Serbedzija, Fernanda Romero, Rachel Ticotin, Chloë Grace Moretz, Esodie Geiger, Karen Elizabeth Austin, Ryan J. Pezdirc
Screenplay by: Sebastian Gutierrez, Ryne Douglas Pearson
Production Design by: James H. Spencer
Cinematography by: Jeff Jur
Film Editing by: Patrick Lussier
Costume Design by: Michael Dennison
Set Decoration by: Joseph Litsch
Art Direction by: Naython Vane
Music by: Marco Beltrami
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence / terror and disturbing content.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: February 1, 2008
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