Search - When I Close My Eyes on DVD

Mexican cinema??? This is Slovenian!

LGwriter | Astoria, N.Y. United States | 03/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not sure where the review of Mexican cinema came from. This is the first commercially distributed Slovenian film, made in 1993 by filmmaker Franci Slak who directed and co-wrote the screenplay. It's the story of a beautiful young woman in present-day Ljubljana, the capital, who works for the central government office and one day is assigned to a small post office on the outskirts of the city. During her workday, she's robbed by a dashing young man whose face is burned in her memory.

As it turns out, he remembers her also, in a startling way that the viewer discovers much later in the film. The young woman takes advantage of the robbery, becoming a criminal herself, yet reports the robbery to the police who, as usual, bungle the apprehension of the robber.

The woman's aunt, an elderly woman who's mentally losing her way, is superbly played by the actress in that role, as is the heroine and also a young man smitten with the young woman. The various threads of the story converge quite well as the film progresses, resulting in a conclusion that, while not completely satisfying, does make sense based on the character of the female lead.

Director Slak has made other films but this is the only one to break through the barriers of accessibility here in the US. It's a solidly plotted story of passion, greed, and obsession, all the juicy elements of a noir tale. And in that it succeeds. The DVD version of the film seems now to be on its way out of print, so you may want to try to nab it before it is completely unavailable.

Recommended."