El ojo en la nuca

"El ojo en la nuca" literally means "The eye on the back of the neck" (or eyes on the back of one's head, as English speakers would think of it). The title refers to dwelling on the past instead of moving forward, which is one of the main themes of the film. A man who lost his father to a corrupt military regime as a child tracks down the general responsible years later, seeking revenge. I saw this film in college as part of a Spanish course, and it has stuck with me as a powerful cautionary tale.

When I looked it up on here, I was floored by the pathetically low rating, which as of this writing is 3.6. The only reasons I can think of for such a low rating are that either the material hit a bit too close to home for some viewers who may have experienced this era, or the users thought the movie was depressing. Which, by the way, is a bad reason to give a movie a low rating. In fact, I suspect that the rating of 3.6 may be due in some part to other students who had the same curriculum seeing this film and giving it a 1 because it is bleak. I can only hope that more people will see it and appreciate it for what it is.

The plot is well-crafted and emotionally involving, the acting is good, the cinematography is great, and the film has something important to say. We are told to "forgive and forget," but "El ojo en la nuca" examines what can happen when someone simply cannot do that.