Blue Eyelids

Director: Ernesto Contreras
Screenwriters: Carlos Contreras

Institute History

  • 2008 Sundance Film Festival

Description

In a remarkable feature-film debut, Ernesto Contreras gently explores solitude and the quest for love in Mexico. Marina works at a uniform factory, and one day wins an all-expense-paid trip for two from her employer—a trip to a beach paradise. Unfortunately, because of her solitude, she doesn’t have anyone to invite as her guest. When Victor unexpectedly presents himself to her as an old friend from high school, she doesn’t remember. But it seems that Marina does not remember anything as she quietly wanders through her daily life—as if life is passing her by without any meaning or memory.

Set in a modern Mexican megalopolis, a world filled with pale shades of blue, the film showcases Contreras’s steady direction and Cecilia Suárez and Enrique Arreola’s wonderful performances, which lend a quiet inertia to the film as they seek love and connectedness. Sometimes we’re not quite sure if they're really lonely or want to fall in love, which is often demonstrated with great awkwardness. But the sweetness lies in Marina and Victor’s continual efforts to keep trying and seeking, which is a lesson many of us could take as we journey through our lives.

— N. Bird Runningwater

Screening Details

Sundance Film Festival Awards

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]