The Eye (Jian gui)
A Chinese girl, blind since a small child, regains her sight through a corneal transplant and sees things she never wanted to see.
Story
Wong Kar Mun (Lee Sin-Je) has been blind since the age of two. After 18 years, she has fully adapted to her disability, never knowing what she has missed. Until, that is, a new medical procedure gives her her sight back through an advanced corneal transplant. The young girl finally enters the world of light and images but has trouble comprehending what she sees. She doesn't understand what is real and what is not because she has no point of reference. But that isn't all. Mun sees more with her new eyes than she expected--Mun sees dead people. Almost going mad from the constant stream of apparitions before her, Mun suddenly discovers to her horror that the image she thought was herself is, in fact, another woman--Ling (Chutcha Rujinanon), the corneas' original owner. Mun realizes she is recalling Ling's memories and seeing through her eyes--literally. With her boyfriend/psychotherapist Lee Sin (Lawrence Chou), Mun travels to Thailand in search for answers on who Ling was as well as unravel the mystery of her death.
Acting
All the other characters being peripheral to Mun's circumstances, Lee Sin-Je amply carries the whole movie on her own, making her blindness totally believable as well as showing how Mun adjusts to her new world of sight.. She also expertly pulls off the scenes where Mun goes stark raving mad, displaying truly chilling abilities. This actress is worthy of attention. In the supporting role as her boyfriend and psychotherapist Lee Sin, Lawrence Chou simply works as more as a sidekick, never realizing utilizing his part and coming off fairly bland.
Direction
The camera effects and editing are well done, but ultimately the story fails to live up to the expectations it builds in the beginning. Borrowing from The Sixth Sense, Jacob's Ladder and Final Destination, directors Danny Pang and Oxide Pang try to heighten the suspense of whole ''dead people'' horror scenario by introducing the uneasy awareness of one's inescapable fate, but ultimately it falls short. The pace of the story zooms along, but the scenes seem to run together, and you wade through a murky story line rather than a frightening one. Unfortunately, the really scary scenes are few and far between in what is supposedly a psychological thriller. The rest of the film is unable to perpetuate the fear it creates.
Bottom Line
Although it initially holds your interest, The Eye quickly loses its steam as the frames whiz by, despite a valiant effort by its lead actress Lee Sin-Je.