Their Eyes (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

2025 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!

A series of individuals take viewers through the day-to-day of creating autonomous vehicles. In Their Eyes they express the challenges, the pleasures, and the honest future of the self-driving car–told through their eyes and the convoluted computer screens that stare back at them. 

In a truly original attempt at documentary filmmaking, Their Eyes incorporates visuals so far outside of the norm for the average person, that viewers have no choice but to focus and try to dissect all that plays out before them. Their Eyes isn’t perfect, and it faces its fair share of problems (some stemming from the visuals), but it’s incredibly fair to say that the visuals also work as a way for viewers to become immersed in this short documentary. 

Before I get into the film’s hindrances, I also want to express that the narration present in Their Eyes is top notch. The science behind what is being developed by these individuals is mindboggling, things that, just a few years ago, didn’t seem all that plausible. So, their level of intellect is something of a relief–making their lives and their professions far more accessible than I would have initially thought to be possible. 

Unfortunately, I do have to address the more troublesome aspects of Their Eyes. 

While I feel that those tasked with narrating for viewers do a good job of explaining their craft, the reality is that the visuals are frequently overstimulating and, as a result, a bit difficult to follow. That narration is faced with overwhelming visuals. It’s important that viewers have access to the visuals in order to better understand the subject matter, but it almost feels unfair to those narrators as they are forced to combat those visuals nearly every step of the way. 

Their Eyes is an interesting premise: expressing to the public the process of creating autonomous cars capable of navigating this ever-changing world, but the visuals are almost on repeat. Again, those visuals sometimes become overwhelming and they challenge the film’s ability to be successful. 

What I appreciate most about Their Eyes is the fact that Writer-Director Nicolas Gourault attempts to take the documentary genre in a unique direction. He certainly does that; and regardless of whether or not it’s perfect, he takes a chance and I’m supportive of that decision. 

Written & Directed by Nicolas Gourault. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE