The Naked Eye

The Naked Eye

Year: 1998

Runtime: 104 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Vicente Aranda

Drama

Begoña, a thirty‑something consultant who has rejected her upper‑middle‑class upbringing and engaged in numerous sexual affairs, records each liaison with a tiny cam called “The Owl” on her psychoanalyst’s advice. She dines with her stern mother, married brother and younger sister on Christmas Eve, clashes with the family and departs, her sister sympathetic. She then meets Daniel, a handsome man, but the sudden arrival of her ex Elio sparks an argument.

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Timeline & Setting – The Naked Eye (1998)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Naked Eye (1998). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Madrid, Spain

The action unfolds mainly in Madrid, moving from a polished family apartment at Christmas to a bar and a rough neighborhood. The city serves as a backdrop contrasting bourgeois comfort with the grit of urban life. Key locations include Begoña's home, a bar where she meets Daniel and Elio, Ignacio's studio, and the seedy streets where she confronts danger, reflecting the social spectrum she navigates.

🌆 Madrid 🎭 Drama 👥 City life vs. seedy neighborhoods

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:34

Main Characters – The Naked Eye (1998)

Meet the key characters of The Naked Eye (1998), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Begoña (Laura Morante)

A thirty-something consultant who rebels against her upper-middle-class background and embraces sexual exploration. She maintains a video diary via The Owl, using it to observe her own behavior and emotions. The character navigates desire, loneliness, and the pull between independence and meaningful connection, challenging social norms at every turn.

💃 Independent 🧭 Self-discovery 💔 Complex relationships

Daniel (Miguel Ángel García)

A young, wealthy man with no clear occupation who quickly becomes Begoña's intense pursuer. He embodies confidence and entitlement, pursuing her relentlessly despite her mixed signals. His presence destabilizes existing relationships and exposes Begoña's appetite for novelty as well as vulnerability.

💫 Obsession 🧭 Youthful energy 🔥 Romantic pursuit

Ignacio (Sancho Gracia)

An older painter who has been Begoña's lover for years. He represents steadiness, culture, and the comfortable but unequal dynamic of an older partner. His relationship with Begoña contrasts with her younger affairs, offering a different form of intimacy and restraint.

🎨 Artist 🕰️ Age gap ❤️ Long-term love

Elio (Jose Coronado)

Begoña's adventurous ex-boyfriend and occasional lover, a biker who stirs up trouble and competition among her suitors. He challenges Begoña's boundaries with a bold, reckless energy. His presence catalyzes jealousy and forceful dynamics within the group of friends and lovers.

🚴 Adventurous 🔥 Jealousy 🗺️ Instigator

Ramón (Juanjo Puigcorbé)

Begoña's coworker and sometimes lover who alternates between pursuing her and stepping back. He represents a more stable, predictable option, yet his advances feel hollow compared to her more intense encounters. His role highlights the tension between desire and emotional availability.

💼 Workplace ❤️ Unrequited love 💬 Talkative

Marian (Ana Obregón)

A friend of Begoña, married to a younger man and struggling with pregnancy. She seeks insemination and enlists Begoña's help, illustrating the complexities of modern relationships and reproductive choices. Her arc shows how friendship intersects with intimate life and family planning.

🤰 Fertility 👩‍❤️‍👨 Marriage 👯 Friendship

Santiago (Miguel Bosé)

Begoña's high school boyfriend, now married with twins, who hosts a New Year party and represents a potential path of conventional life. He embodies the lure of traditional success and domesticity, contrasting with Begoña's appetite for risk. His presence invites reflection on alternate life choices and what Begoña might have become.

🏡 Conventional life 🕰️ Nostalgia 🥂 Reunion

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:34

Major Themes – The Naked Eye (1998)

Explore the central themes of The Naked Eye (1998), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💃 Sexuality

Sexuality drives Begoña's life as she experiments with multiple partners and records her encounters in a palm-sized diary. The Owl device frames her private arena as a performance and self-exploration. The film uses intimate encounters to test the pull between desire and the expectations of her upper-middle-class upbringing. Through these choices, it exposes vulnerability, longing, and the cost of chasing authenticity.

⚖️ Power dynamics

The relationships in the narrative are defined by shifting power balances: Daniel's relentless pursuit contrasts with Ignacio's older, steadier influence, and Elio's adventurous magnetism strains Begoña's loyalties. The brutal rape in the rough Madrid neighborhood heightens the sense of exploitation within desire. Begoña's agency is repeatedly tested by male attention, social status, and romantic entanglements. The film critiques bourgeois norms by showing how power can be wielded and paid for in intimate choices.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 08:34

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