Dark Glasses - Blind Fear

In Rome, a killer who targets high-class prostitutes causes fear and terror. The killer, who strangles his victims with a cello string, is also targeting Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli), but she manages to escape him at the last second. In the process, however, she is involved in a serious car accident that causes her to lose her eyesight. Now Diana not only has to come to terms with the new situation and learn to live a life in darkness. She is also plagued by feelings of guilt towards the little boy Chin (Xinyu Zhang), whose parents died in the accident. But just as Diana finds her way back to life with the help of her guide dog and is able to form a bond with Chin, she is once again targeted by the killer...

"Dark Glasses" is the comeback of cult director Dario Argento after a ten-year hiatus. Argento, who directed classics such as "Suspiria" or "Phenomena", returns with his latest work to the subgenre of giallo that he once left such a lasting mark on. With some bloody scenes and an atmospheric soundtrack, Argento then creates a gloomy atmosphere again and again in this film, which giallo fans will certainly enjoy. In contrast, there are some weaknesses that repeatedly push the entertainment value of the film significantly down.

The basic idea of the story is not bad in itself: a recently blinded sex worker and an orphan boy must flee together from a merciless killer. Sounds actually quite exciting. But unfortunately Argento's production gets lost again and again in long-winded sequences without any suspense, in which it also becomes very clear that lead actress Illena Pastorelli just doesn't play very well. However, it may also be due to the script that Pastorelli's performance is so unconvincing. After all, her character is drawn very one-dimensional and then also has to scream loudly at every opportunity while fleeing from her tormentor, so that the killer definitely doesn't lose track of her. Well...

No question: atmospherically "Dark Glasses" is really good. If you like giallo and slasher films and can make sacrifices in acting and directing, you will be well served here. But if you need something more than bloody murders and a successful soundtrack, you should rather wait for the upcoming home theatrical release. All in all a: With cutbacks worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp