Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- eerie
- austere
- late night horror viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film’s hypnotic black-and-white atmosphere and lingering psychological horror, while finding its sparse, slow approach divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The isolated farmhouse and surrounding country landscape are rendered in black and white, creating a stripped-down atmosphere of menace.
Francisca’s mother’s murder and her father’s death profoundly shape her isolated adulthood and darkest desires.
The film presents Francisca’s increasingly transgressive life with sparse exposition and an observational, detached perspective.
The mother’s surgical knowledge, the recurring focus on eyes, and the film’s disturbing treatment of bodies connect intimacy with violation.
Films like The Eyes of My Mother, and why
May
shares austere psychological horror, bodily transgression, and a disturbed young woman shaped by trauma
Excision
shares surreal body horror, alienated female protagonists, and an unsettling art-house tone
The Witch
shares black-and-white visual austerity, isolated rural spaces, and meditative dread
Saint Maud
shares psychologically intense horror, taboo desire, and stylized depictions of trauma
Movie Details
- Director
- Nicolas Pesce
- Release Date
- 2016-12-02
- Runtime
- 76 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (375)
Cast
- Kika Magalhães
- Diana Agostini
- Will Brill
- Clara Wong
- Olivia Bond
- Joey Curtis-Green
- Flora Diaz
- Paul Nazak
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Eyes of My Mother about?
- A stark black-and-white descent into the lonely, traumatic inner life of a woman whose fascination with anatomy curdles into monstrous desire.
- What is The Eyes of My Mother like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Eyes of My Mother as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Eyes of My Mother violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Eyes of My Mother as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Eyes of My Mother?
- Critics generally praised the film’s hypnotic black-and-white atmosphere and lingering psychological horror, while finding its sparse, slow approach divisive.
- Which films are like The Eyes of My Mother?
- Films with a similar feel include May, Excision, The Witch, and Saint Maud.
- How long is The Eyes of My Mother?
- The Eyes of My Mother runs 76 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Eyes of My Mother?
- In United States, The Eyes of My Mother streams on Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel.
