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Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes
| image =
| director = Kevin Kopacka
| producer =
| writer = Kevin Kopacka, Lili Villnyi
| starring =
| music =
| cinematography = Lukas Dolgner
| editing = Kevin Kopacka
| production_companies = SYLENTEYE Films
| distributor = MPI Media Group Dark Sky Films
| released =
| runtime = 74 minutes
| country = Germany
| language = German
}}
'Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes' is a 2021 German mystery horror film directed by Kevin Kopacka and starring Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Luisa Taraz and Frederik von Lttichau. It pays homage to European gothic horror and psychedelic films of the 1960s and 1970s. It premiered at FrightFest 2021 in London.
Synopsis
Dieter and Margot Menliff, in an unhappy marriage, visit an old castle that Margot has just inherited. When they arrive, Dieter explores the basement, while Margot examines the rest of the castle. Dieter sees something in the cellar that causes him to drop his keys and flee. Margot has a vision in a dusty mirror. Halfway through the film, a second couple, Eva Ziehnagel and Gregor Grause, is introduced.
Cast
* Anna Platen as Eva Ziehnagel
* Jeff Wilbusch as Gregor Grause
* Frederik von Lttichau as Dieter Menliff & Klaus Moltke
* Luisa Taraz as Margot Menliff & Lilith Tarenbach
Release
The film had its theatrical world premiere at FrightFest in London, England on August 28, 2021. It was additionally shown at numerous festivals including Panic Fest in the United States, Sydney Film Festival in Australia, HARD:LINE Film Festival in Germany, Chattanooga Film Festival in the United States, the Calgary Underground Film Festival in Canada, and the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre film festival in Argentina, where it won the awards for Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography.
It was released theatrically and on VOD in the United States on 24 June 2022, courtesy of Dark Sky Films.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 16 critics, with an average rating of 7.5/10. Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting called it a "sumptuous visual feast" and a "gorgeous, ethereal movie full of surprising twists that deftly shift genres".
Mel Valentin of Screen Anarchy wrote, "Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes (...) is an elegantly directed, impressively realized, ultra-stylish homage to 60s and 70s Euro-Gothic horror". He characterizes the conflict between Dieter and Margot as one of patriarchy and feminism, while explaining that Eva and Gregor represent the same conflict in a less violent form. Valentin commends the "series of retina-burning images and impressively staged set pieces" created by Kopacka and Dolgner. Despite noting that a "limited budget" leading to a short runtime causes some of the style and ideas to "slip into near incoherence or unintelligibility", Valentin hopes that Kopacka will direct his next film "sooner rather than later."
Sharai Bohannon of Dread Central commented extensively on the chaotic, hallucinogenic nature of the film, writing, "more of an experience than a film, Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes is so beautiful, chaotic, and bizarre that you cant but tip your hat to it." Kat Hughes of The Hollywood News wrote that Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes is "a technical masterpiece made even richer by a compelling narrative." Both Bohannon and Hughes praised the film's sound design.
References
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