Abre Los Ojos, which translates to Open Your Eyes, is the Spanish-made psychological thriller that spawned the American-made debacle Vanilla Sky. Written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, Open Your Eyes tells the story of a self-absorbed young man named César (Eduardo Noriega), who lives off his father’s wealth and his own good looks. If he has any redeeming qualities, neither this film nor Vanilla Sky let us know what they are.

César has a close friend named Pelayo, who, for whatever reason, seems to actually care for him. César, though, will betray friends in a flash. So, when Pelayo brings a beautiful girl named Sofia to a party (played by Penélope Cruz, who plays the same role in Vanilla Sky), César comes on to her and ends up angering both Pelayo and another girl that César’s been sleeping with named Nuria (Najwa Nimri). Although nothing happens between Sofia and César at first -- they spend the night just talking -- Nuria knows that something will happen, and tracks him down to exact revenge.

Although the plot seems fairly conventional, the execution of the story is not. Abre Los Ojos not only tells its tale using a non-linear timeline, it also uses multiple realities. To say exactly what it is that Nuria does to César would give too much away, but the key is that you’re never really sure it ever happened. The opening scene where César wakes up twice sets the tone that nothing may be what it seems, and that what he’s experiencing may not even be real. The plot winds up neatly, but the trip along the way rivals Jacob’s Ladder for confusion.

Although the story is compelling and it does bring up some interesting themes about life, immortality, reality, dreams, and beauty, I found myself consistently turned off by the lead character of César. I wanted to like something about him just so I could care more about his condition throughout this film. It’s just not there. He’s a selfish, uncaring brat, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why Sofia, and particularly Pelayo, would have anything to do with him. While it’s not necessarily important to like the lead character, it’s desirable if you’re supposed to relate to him in any way like they want you to in this film. For that reason, I always remained somewhat detached while watching both Abre Los Ojos and Vanilla Sky.

The DVD’s extras are disappointing, particularly because this was more or less a breakout film for Alejandro Amenábar in terms of gaining North American recognition. Ironically, he went on to direct Nicole Kidman, the ex-Mrs. Tom Cruise, in The Others, while Cruise went on to star in Vanilla Sky and strike up a romance with Penélope Cruz. That’s some interesting stuff and I thought there would at least be an interview to try and tie some of that together. Unfortunately, there’s not much here other than text-based biographies and production notes. On the bright side, the notes do give some insight into the film, including the surprising fact that it was shot in just over seven weeks.

Overall, picture and sound quality are very good and is indicative of modern-day filmmaking. It’s also worth noting that the dialogue is all left in Spanish -- thankfully, there’s no goofy dubbing -- and there are English subtitles.