All I See Is You

This well-acted, boldly directed psychological drama offers a bare-knuckles view of an accelerated kind of relationship decay. All I See Is You uses the idea of a happily married blind woman regaining her sight, then re-evaluating her marriage, to examine the primal fear most people in relationships have had at some point: that their so-far content partner might suddenly want out. Gina lives in a kind of bubble, cared for by the doting, if ordinary, James. She doesn't know what he looks like -- or, more significantly, what she does, as an adult. The operation that restores her sight early in the film not only allows her to see the world and all its colors again but makes her "see" herself and her life in a totally different light. She reassesses her self-worth and, despite James doing nothing wrong, her contentment with him. James finds himself struck by jealousy in the wake of his wife's sudden confidence and sexual power.

Director/co-writer Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Stay) has had success with adult themes and getting strong performances from his stars. Here, Lively manages to stay sympathetic as the initially sweet, open woman who experiences multiple awakenings after regaining her sight. Without excusing Gina's behavior, the film at least makes her actions understandable. And Clarke is Exhibit A in the category "Actors Who Are Good in Everything." His James seems like the perfect husband ... until his foundation is shaken by jealousy. Miquel Fernández has an amusingly abrasive turn as a brother-in-law. Forster uses strong subjective cinematic technique to let us into Gina's experience, creating tension without resorting to clichés. The sexuality in the film plays as a reflection of Gina's awakening to the world beyond her old one, potentially leaving James and all his limitations behind. All I See Is You is no thriller (which some seem to have expected it to be, perhaps based on marketing), but its exploration of how far Gina and James will go for happiness is unsettling.