I, The Eyes (flim)
| Mo Lizie la | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jo Noe |
| Screenplay by | Janie Dogo Samson Perreault |
| Produced by | Jamie Madani |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Bojan Domota |
| Edited by | Janie Dogo |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | Carucere |
| Languages | Papotement Gaullican |
| Budget | $3 million |
I, The Eyes (Papotement: Mo Lizie la, Gaullican: Moi, les Yeux) is a Carucerean historical drama and independent film produced and released in 2022. It the first film written and directed by Janie Dogo and Samson Perreault and shot entirely within Carucere on a limited budget. The movie tells the history of the Carrefour Stars baseball team from 1939 to 1940 as told from the perspective of a personification of the baseball team itself. The movie's title is a reference to the team's nickname due to the team's logo resembling an eye. The film is set to premiere at the 83rd Montecara Film Festival on 22 October 2022, and is set for a regional theatrical release the day after.
Plot
In 2011, at the celebrations following the Carrefour Stars win at the year's Arucian Series, a mysterious old man wearing red and black recollects his memories of the baseball team to revelers sitting at the bar with him. In 1935 an young Gosan man named Henri Dugo returns home to his family after the end of the Great War. While he only briefly saw combat when the island was seized by Estmere, he was traumatized when his position was targeted by Estmerish shore bombardment for several hours. He begins to fall into a depression until a chance encounter with a foul ball leads him to try out for the newly reformed Carrefour Stars baseball club.
Henri is terrible at batting but his pitching catches the eye of fellow pitcher Daze Dejia. After a rough start where he almost gives up, he discovers he has a talent for throwing curveballs. With the support of his teammates he begins to gain mastery of the game, but he is still haunted by his experiences, and commonly experiences nightmares. In one of the games with the Bridgetown Eagles, he encounters Alex Dogo, a formidable batter who is able to get many hits off him, much to Herni's chagrin. Finally Henri is able to strike him out swinging and even though the team loses the game, it is a personal victory for him. After the game, Alex approaches him they both complement each other on their athletic ability and gain a mutual respect. That Henri still has the same nightmares. The flashback ends when one of the customers interrupts the old man to buy the man a drink, he accepts it and continues the story.
The scene transitions to a Stars vs Eagles game in 1939 with Daze, Alex, and Henri playing on the same team. The baseball team are now wearing formal uniforms and look much more professional, but there is an unspoken tension in the air. It is revealed that there is a line of police officers separating a sparse crowd from the field. The game ends and the police quickly disperses the crowd and arrests someone who shouts a nationalist slogan. It is revealed that labour and nationalist agitation, led by the Social Liberation Movement of Carucere (MLSK) is on the rise across Carucere which has lead to a crackdown by the District government. It is revealed that the Governor banned all other public gatherings the week before, and its widely believed that amateur baseball is next.
After the game, the three friends meet to relax but the conversation quickly shifts to the possibility of the government shutting down the amateur baseball league. They all mention that their families want them to stop playing, in particular Alex's pregnant wife is very worried. However while they are worried about being unable to play baseball, they are much more worried about the future of their nation. As they continue to discuss their uncertainty about the future, the old man appears which they seemingly do not notice. Suddenly an old woman appears which the three boys also do not react to and greets the old man as Henri, revealing the old man as a svikiro, a spirit medium holding Henri Dugo's mudzimu, or his spirit. Henri's spirit greets the woman as King, revealing her as the genius loci of Kingston, Carucere. King asks why is Alex is relieving this memory, to which he replies "For old times sake". The scene then returns to three men who learned from a messenger that several coaches is planning to hold an emergency meeting on the future of the baseball league despite a ban on public gatherings. The Stars coach asked for one of them to attend the meeting, but warned of the danger involved. The three men acknowledged the danger and all nominated themselves for the task. After a lengthy argument, they finally settle on Alex going to the meeting in a few days.
The air is tense over the next few days and Alex is unable to sleep well due his anxiousness and his nightmares; however now his dreams feature pain instead of the vague helplessness as with before.