Dance is one of the few art forms where an artist or a group of artists creates magic on stage through their expressions, postures, and gestures. Regardless of the type or style of the dance, every dance piece always wants to tell a story. The dance in the film ‘The Eye’ has it too. It is a story about a man’s journey through a dark psychological place full of challenges and barriers. After reading this, It may seem to you an innocuous story, but there are layers after layers in the film. One of the layers is gender identity. Although the man is surrounded with love and acceptance, deep down somewhere he is grappling with the issue of gender identity. As the film progresses, we get to see how deep the problem is and how difficult it is for him to fight against this invisible nemesis that’s lying within him. The film also reveals that the enemy is not an external force, but his internal force. This internal force is his enemy as well as his love. In the film, he hails it as his ‘my beloved love within’. In a nutshell, the film shows that struggle through dance and movements which makes it different from other films.

Besides its unique story, the director of the film has also used a lot of props to depict the struggle of the man. The use of a statue is one of them. The statue acted as a visual representation of the man’s internal turmoil. It is like a metaphor which depicts an endless fight between societal expectations and the rawness of one’s true self. As this inner force emerges prominently in the film, the metal barriers get shattered which helps him to engage with a mystical force. This force prepares him to embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance despite his ruptured psychological status.

The use of shadows and reflection throughout the film is not only interesting but also perfectly blends with the story. Those shadows and reflections turn the man into an iconoclast. It is because his act makes him a fighter and turns him into an extraordinary man. It is his fighting spirit that is the driving force behind his change. The story is told through a concerted effort between music, dance and movements. This interplay of different arts blurs the strict gender boundaries and he eventually discovers his identity, which was hiding behind multiple layers. And finally, this makes him learn to embrace the person that he always wanted to become but always found himself in conflict with.

Till now, I’ve mainly talked about the protagonist who is a man. However, there is another character in the film who is a woman. Of course, she represents the man’s inner self which is fighting the battle of gender identity, but her presence on the screen gives a new dimension to the dance and the film overall. Both the actors have well-built bodies. This makes their dance like the coordinated effort that we see in the wildebeest migration of the Serengeti. The curtains between the man and the woman are like a veil or a barrier that stops a person from facing their inner worries.

Although I’ve been referring to it as a film, it’s a music video. The duration of the video is just 2:23 minutes. And goodness gracious, it was enough for the director to tell a compelling story. When you start watching the video, it’ll suck you into it in a jiffy. The energy in it is so infectious that it eventually passes on to the viewers. But don’t worry, it’s a positive energy. One thing that makes the video more beautiful is its song and music. The song is simple but sung eloquently and fits the music gently.

The director of the film/music video, Vinod Ravi, has done a tremendous job. He has united all the aspects of filmmaking effortlessly. It is evident after watching the film that he has a good knowledge of dance as a separate art form. The two actors are also superb. They didn’t act traditionally but their prowess as dancers is impeccable. Last but not least, the voiceover of the film is also spot on. Therefore, considering all the factors, I would like to give this film 4 stars out of five.