MovieChat Forums > Los abrazos rotos (2010) Discussion > ****SPOILER**** Harry/Mateo question

SPOILER Harry/Mateo question

posted 15 years ago by squidsear
4 replies | jump to latest

In the film's opening Harry says that he took on this new persona of the blind scriptwriter, and eventually it took over. I took it to mean that he put on the blindness and then took on the 'Harry' persona. This is reinforced by hthe seduction game with his 'random stranger' from the street, who just happens to be stunningly attractive. Then, later on when Ray-X arrives at his door, Harry clearly looks through the peephole to see who is out there.
Throughout it seemed to me ambiguous whether or not he was really blind, at least until the point when he has to phone Ray-X, and asks the barman to read the number for him. There was no need to ask for help if he could in fact see, as he was alone at the time.
We later hear from the doctor that he has cortical blindness and will never see again after the accident.
So my question is: was he looking through the peephole or did I imagine it and he is in fact unambiguously blind? Is he pretending to be blind, just as Ernesto pretends to be blind to the affair when it suits him? Or is he really blind, as Diego is to his father's identity? Or is Alomodovar just *beep* with my mind?

[–] loveantinoo 15 years ago

Hi, when the film was released in Spain, before i went to watch it, I read about that "beautiful moments" in the film. One of these moments was the one you are talking about, when he looks through the peephole. Some critics found that moment as a geniality from Almodovar, dont mind if there is no reason for it, the reason is in audience mind. If I had gone to see the film without knowing about this moment, maybe I would have thought: "what a mistake!!".
I'm sure he is totally blind, really blind, not faking, but when he looked through the peephole he did it maybe as a defense mechanism, so the stranger out there (Ray X) could never figure out that a blind person is behind the door (important, in case this stranger was a dangerous person). Is like a routine: you look through the peephole as you ask: Who is?.
By the way, Harry Cane wasn't a new identity when he got blind, that name was already used by him to sign his scripts, but when he got blind he started to use it for everything (he couldnt direct, only write)
Im waiting for more opinions about the peephole thing.

[–] spinal-1 15 years ago

With regards to the blindness question what confused me was when Judit came in at the beginning and said 'you can't screw the first attractive girl who helps you cross the road'. This led me to initially believe his blindness was either recent, or, as stated by the first poster, recently fabricated.

I agree with the peephole theory (defense mechanism) or alternatively it was deliberately designed to create ambiguity at the start with regards to his blindness.

Ok film, beautifully shot and acted but I was badly clock watching by the end

[–] Natashashkd 15 years ago

I am amazed to discover that quite a few people question Harry's blindness. Beats me how people could have ignored the scene at the clinic after Mateo had an accident, when Judith asks the doctor whether there was any hope for Mateo to ever see again, and the doctor answers "No, the blindness is irreversible". Also beats me how those very people don't want to explain the peephole episode in any other way other than assuming Harry's blindness was fake.

[–] squidsear 15 years ago

In my original message I was trying to make the point that I was questioning the fact of his blindness up to the later part of the movie when it is made obvious that the blindness is real.

In the earlier scenes I referred to, considerable room is left for doubt. I was wondering whether this was intentional or not, and I find it hard to believe that it was unintentional.