Eyes Wide Open (2009): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2009, Eyes Wide Open is a documentary film directed by Gonzalo Arijón, running about 115 minutes. “A trip through modern South America” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In 1971, Uruguayan journalist and writer Eduardo Galeano published his landmark work Open Veins of Latin America, in which he comprehensively described the centuries of economic exploitation of Latin America. Almost 40 years later, filmmaker Gonzalo Arijon reevaluates the situation. His search takes him from the soybean plantations of the Brazilian Amazon to the tin mines of Bolivia to the deep jungles of Ecuador. Arijon’s politically committed film allows the local populations to speak for themselves, interspersing this with archival footage of speeches by Hugo Chávez, Lula da Silva and Evo Morales. Galeano himself also speaks—sometimes in poetic language— about how the rise of socialist governments in the early 21st century is benefitting Latin America, and what more can be done.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Eyes Wide Open page.

If you liked it. Fans of Eyes Wide Open tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.