BLINDNESS REVIEW

Was this a good film? I’m not sure. Maybe the filmmakers planned to leave me with this uneasy feeling. Or, maybe it just missed the mark. I don’t really know. The actors were all good. It’s based on an award-winning novel. The visuals were extremely interesting and fit the theme of the film. But, I really don’t know. If “not knowing” is the point, then I guess it was a good movie. Could be that they couldn’t get the complexity of the novel on the big screen. Could be I just didn’t get it.

Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are great together, with Moore really owning the film. The supporting cast is equally as good; for example, Brazilian Alice Braga. But then again, the telling of the story goes all over the place.

Several scenes that are really hard to watch might have put me over the edge a little. I’m not sure. I’m still jet lagged and brain/body tired from Iraq. Just coming from a crazy place might have put too many lenses on my eyes (or maybe removed them?).

It seems my review is becoming as vague as the actual cause of the blindness that gets the plot of “Blindness” going. It comes out of nowhere, with no scientific explanation. People thinks it’s contagious and react accordingly. Which illustrates a good point about mankind – scared and reactionary never produce pleasant results.

It’s hard to concentrate on anything, let alone a complicated metaphor set in some weird future city. Or was it the present? I got the allegory about humans all being blind. And that we have to have faith. Faith that the evil resident in all mankind can be subdued by goodness. We are all blind in this life until we have the faith to step out and see and learn more. Or we can hide and let fear rule the day, which only ends in pain and torture. Are we all alone in this life? We are if we choose to be. But working together and helping each other is also a choice. And when we choose that, we will truly be able to see.

I’m not saying, “don’t go and see this film.” But go there and have faith that you will have an intense experience. Or maybe not. PALM STRIKE?

Graham Elwood