Gloomy Eyes is a VR short film released in 2019, directed by Fernando Maldonado and Jorge Tereso, and narrated by Colin Farrell (in the English version). It is not the first project of the two Argentinians. In 2013 they released Shave it, a wacky and colorful short film. However, with Gloomy Eyes, we discover a whole other universe. In a world plunged into darkness, where the sun no longer rise, Gloomy, a zombie boy and Nena, a little girl, meets and falls in love. This encounter will change the course of their lives.
“When the sun grew tired of humanity, it hid, never to rise again.”
Gloomy Eyes immerses us in a poetic and dark world, where the viewer follows Gloomy and Nena. Each scene is like a play with a specific theater setting. The play of light and shadow subtly leads us to follow and pay attention to specific part of the setting. However, as it is a VR interactive film we are also independent and able to focus on the part that we want to.
We can see a strong inspiration from the Tim Burton’s universe and aesthetic, with the creation of a dark world both magical and disturbing. The stop-motion effect and the appearance of certain characters can also make you think of The Nightmare before Christmas.
In 2019, Gloomy Eyes was part of the official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. It also received several nominations and awards such as the crystal of the best VR work from the Annecy Festival, the jury prize for narration (Virtual Cinema) from SXSW, the award of virtual reality experience from the Infinity Film Festival and the gold mask from New Images Festival.
Gloomy Eyes is available in VR on Oculus Rift, Steam and Viveport. You can also access the 360 version on Youtube.
Goth Me Out 