The Invisible Eye

The Invisible Eye

This is the quality of film that gets nominated for best foreign film. It is powerful and well executed. The film takes place during the military regime in Argentina. I was so involved with the story I forgot at times that the theme was a metaphor illustrating the political situation in Argentina at that time.

Marita is a teacher in a government run school. All the students wear uniforms and the regime is military in style. The students stoically and silently walk in the halls of the large school. They must be one arm’s length apart. The clothes must be precisely as ordered. The students sit and stand as the stern teachers bark at them.

Marita wears her hair tightly knotted and her clothes are austere .The school is the perfect example of how a totalitarian state operates.

Marita has her eye on one of the male students. I kept wondering where that would go. The head teacher, Mr Biasuto, has his eye on Marita. She is not interested and throughout the film he increases his interest in her. It also increases the tension

Marita was a different person when she is at home. She lived with her mother and grandmother in a small apartment. She lets her hair down and soaks in the bath. She looks quite attractive. One evening she put on ear rings, a colorful dress and made her hair into a seductive style. Marita is a pretty woman. She didn’t look attractive in her prim school clothes and equally she was unattractive in her ‘floozy like’ party clothes.

Professor Biasutto has giver Marita permission to hide out in the boy’s washroom to look for smokers. She hides in the stall and spies on the male students. It is so offensive and so ‘over the top.’

She becomes obsessive in spying on the boys.

Her activities lead to a horrifying ending. In the background patriotic music is playing and the sound of guns can be heard.

I was speechless when I left the theatre and needed to calmly put all the parts together. The storyline is captivating. When you add the political background the film takes on another dramatic layer.

The performances were Oscar quality. I think this is a must see film.