The Eye is a 2002 Hong Kong film directed by the Pang brothers. It follows the story of a blind Girl, Mun, who undergoes corneal transplantation surgery in order to regain eyesight and subsequently begins to see strange, shadowy figures everywhere. During her first night in hospital, she sees an old lady being taken away by one of the shadowy figures, and in the morning the nurse informs her that the old lady had died. When looking at a photograph of herself, she does not recognize her own face and it is revealed that an unknown girl’s face appears in the mirror instead of her own reflection. Terrified, she confides in her doctor, who, skeptical at first, begins to believe her and locates the data on the original cornea donor. They discover
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Nevertheless, it does draw on certain Asian , that is pan-Asian motifs, whose transformation or the lack of it will be examined. Although the remake follows the original film almost frame by frame, it underwent significant cultural changes. Western filmography rests on the premise that good triumphs over evil, while “Asian horror often regards the supernatural as unfathomable and uncontrollable; hence the narrative often depicts the protagonist’s futile struggle against evil” (Boey 144). There is a Chinese saying that translates as “evil prevails over good threefold”, depicting the Asian sentiment toward the supernatural and revealing “a sense of frailty in relation to the supernatural realm” (Boey 144). This existential pessimism is reflected in the original movie’s final scene in which Mun fails to save the people stuck in the traffic jam. Despite her efforts to warn the victims, she is perceived as a mad person in her wasted attempt to be heard. This failure is transformed into a victory on the side of her American counterpart Sydney, who, although also left blinded, outmatches death. Interestingly, Ana (the American version of Ling) plays a key role in creating the heroine out of Sydney. The presence of Ling’s ghost is in line with the Buddhist and Taoist beliefs of karmic cycles and the lingering of spirits with unfinished business. …show more content…
The little boy lost his report card and his parents did not believe him, thinking that he was lying in order to cover up his bad grades. Consequently, he jumped from the building’s window and is reliving his last moments on a daily basis. The reason why his, although minor, character did not undergo any changes is due to significant academic competition among East Asian students, who are under a lot of pressure from both parents and peers to excel in school. Therefore, if the ethnicity of the boy had been changed to Caucasian, the suicide would not have made much
Nevertheless, it does draw on certain Asian , that is pan-Asian motifs, whose transformation or the lack of it will be examined. Although the remake follows the original film almost frame by frame, it underwent significant cultural changes. Western filmography rests on the premise that good triumphs over evil, while “Asian horror often regards the supernatural as unfathomable and uncontrollable; hence the narrative often depicts the protagonist’s futile struggle against evil” (Boey 144). There is a Chinese saying that translates as “evil prevails over good threefold”, depicting the Asian sentiment toward the supernatural and revealing “a sense of frailty in relation to the supernatural realm” (Boey 144). This existential pessimism is reflected in the original movie’s final scene in which Mun fails to save the people stuck in the traffic jam. Despite her efforts to warn the victims, she is perceived as a mad person in her wasted attempt to be heard. This failure is transformed into a victory on the side of her American counterpart Sydney, who, although also left blinded, outmatches death. Interestingly, Ana (the American version of Ling) plays a key role in creating the heroine out of Sydney. The presence of Ling’s ghost is in line with the Buddhist and Taoist beliefs of karmic cycles and the lingering of spirits with unfinished business. …show more content…
The little boy lost his report card and his parents did not believe him, thinking that he was lying in order to cover up his bad grades. Consequently, he jumped from the building’s window and is reliving his last moments on a daily basis. The reason why his, although minor, character did not undergo any changes is due to significant academic competition among East Asian students, who are under a lot of pressure from both parents and peers to excel in school. Therefore, if the ethnicity of the boy had been changed to Caucasian, the suicide would not have made much