Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Julian Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover
Running Time: 121 minutes (plus trailers)
In an anonymous city filled with nameless characters, a man suddenly and inexplicably goes blind. From there, the ‘white sickness’ spreads quickly, until the government is forced to quarantine the sufferers in order to stop a pandemic. Trapped in an abandoned hospital with limited food and armed guards patrolling outside, the afflicted attempt to maintain order with the help of one woman (played by Julianne Moore) who is mysteriously immune to the disease. However conditions quickly deteriorate and before long the inmates descent into brutality and violence. Such is the premise of Fernando Meirelles latest film, appropriately titled Blindness. A fairly obvious metaphor for the state of humanity, I was pretty excited for this film ever since I saw the amazing trailer (below) and heard that Meirelles was directing. However a few days before I went to see the film, I checked out some reviews and was disappointed to see that they were generally negative. Carrying only a 40% on rotten tomatoes, Jake Wilson, film critic for The Age newspaper gave Blindness 1.5 stars, stating that the “premise proves unworkable on screen.” This wasn’t enough to dissuade me from see it, but it’s fair to say that I went into this movie with fairly low expectations. But by the time I came out, Blindness was vying for the position of my favourite film of 2009 so far. I really loved this film, and although looking back at it I can understand the critic’s dissatisfaction, I could not disagree more strongly.
All the technical aspects of this film are fantastic. The acting from an international cast is terrific, especially from Ruffalo and Moore as the couple whose relationship takes on a strange new dimension due to his complete dependence on her. Fernando Meirelles is one of the most visually distinctive directors working today, on par with Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) David Fincher (Fight Club) and Michelle Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). His 2002 film City of God is one of the best movies of the decade, and although I haven’t seen Constant Gardner it has shot right to the top of my list of must see films. In Blindness, Meirelles utilizes a wide range of lighting, editing and camera techniques to keep the viewers off balance, reflecting the movies themes of moral distortion and uncertainty. The colours white and blue are prevalent, giving the entire film an unnatural quality, and Julianne Moore with her dyed blonde hair and pale skin appears almost angelic. As a general member of the audience I was drawn in by the ethereal beauty displayed on screen, and as a film connoisseur (am I giving myself too much credit?) I was impressed and endlessly fascinated with Meirelles mastery behind the camera. The sound design and music are also great, and help to capture the mood of any given scene, which can range from horrifically violent to almost farcical. This movie intentionally batters and disorients your senses, and really is an incredibly well made piece of cinema.
It is the story that most of the critics are taking issue with. This movie certainly paints in very broad strokes, at times is not particularly subtle (see Danny Glover’s god-awful narration), and the actions of some groups of people (specifically the government and soldiers) is completely illogical. Blindness depicts the very worst of human behaviour, and some viewers may find it unbelievable that we would turn on each other so quickly, especially given that the villain (played by Gael Garcia Bernard) is a little cartoonish. I on the other hand am a big subscriber to the theory that human beings are fundamental screwed up, and am therefore a sucker for this kind of Lord of the Flies type story that depicts people reverting back to savagery when cut off from civilization. I don’t think that what happens here is unlikely; indeed I believe that Blindness is a mesmerizing and scarily accurate portrayal of what might happen if the world were struck by an actual ‘white sickness.’ Some of the things that occur over the course of the film (mainly to women) are absolutely horrifying, and yet at the same time the story is so compelling that I could not bring myself to look away. The only time the narrative really faltered was in the last twenty minutes, and the ending (which I will not reveal) left me feeling a little bit confused as to what the screenwriters and/or directors final intention was.
The long and short of it is that I was enthralled by this film for almost the entire time. I compare it to one of my favourite films from 2007 (and that was an amazing year by the way): Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Steven King novel The Mist. That movie is definitely flawed, but the human elements keep you on the edge of your seat. And the same can be said of Blindness. While it is not perfect, and while I can appreciate some of the critic’s complaints, ultimately I found it to be a very thrilling picture, and the filmmaking is superb. I really recommend that people see this movie, and more specifically in the cinema, as I suspect that it’s effectiveness is greatly heightened by a big screen and a good sound system. Furthermore, we should all support Meirelles who is a truly amazing cinematic talent.
Blindness is in cinemas now
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Julian Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover
Running Time: 121 minutes (plus trailers)
In an anonymous city filled with nameless characters, a man suddenly and inexplicably goes blind. From there, the ‘white sickness’ spreads quickly, until the government is forced to quarantine the sufferers in order to stop a pandemic. Trapped in an abandoned hospital with limited food and armed guards patrolling outside, the afflicted attempt to maintain order with the help of one woman (played by Julianne Moore) who is mysteriously immune to the disease. However conditions quickly deteriorate and before long the inmates descent into brutality and violence. Such is the premise of Fernando Meirelles latest film, appropriately titled Blindness. A fairly obvious metaphor for the state of humanity, I was pretty excited for this film ever since I saw the amazing trailer (below) and heard that Meirelles was directing. However a few days before I went to see the film, I checked out some reviews and was disappointed to see that they were generally negative. Carrying only a 40% on rotten tomatoes, Jake Wilson, film critic for The Age newspaper gave Blindness 1.5 stars, stating that the “premise proves unworkable on screen.” This wasn’t enough to dissuade me from see it, but it’s fair to say that I went into this movie with fairly low expectations. But by the time I came out, Blindness was vying for the position of my favourite film of 2009 so far. I really loved this film, and although looking back at it I can understand the critic’s dissatisfaction, I could not disagree more strongly.
All the technical aspects of this film are fantastic. The acting from an international cast is terrific, especially from Ruffalo and Moore as the couple whose relationship takes on a strange new dimension due to his complete dependence on her. Fernando Meirelles is one of the most visually distinctive directors working today, on par with Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) David Fincher (Fight Club) and Michelle Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). His 2002 film City of God is one of the best movies of the decade, and although I haven’t seen Constant Gardner it has shot right to the top of my list of must see films. In Blindness, Meirelles utilizes a wide range of lighting, editing and camera techniques to keep the viewers off balance, reflecting the movies themes of moral distortion and uncertainty. The colours white and blue are prevalent, giving the entire film an unnatural quality, and Julianne Moore with her dyed blonde hair and pale skin appears almost angelic. As a general member of the audience I was drawn in by the ethereal beauty displayed on screen, and as a film connoisseur (am I giving myself too much credit?) I was impressed and endlessly fascinated with Meirelles mastery behind the camera. The sound design and music are also great, and help to capture the mood of any given scene, which can range from horrifically violent to almost farcical. This movie intentionally batters and disorients your senses, and really is an incredibly well made piece of cinema.
It is the story that most of the critics are taking issue with. This movie certainly paints in very broad strokes, at times is not particularly subtle (see Danny Glover’s god-awful narration), and the actions of some groups of people (specifically the government and soldiers) is completely illogical. Blindness depicts the very worst of human behaviour, and some viewers may find it unbelievable that we would turn on each other so quickly, especially given that the villain (played by Gael Garcia Bernard) is a little cartoonish. I on the other hand am a big subscriber to the theory that human beings are fundamental screwed up, and am therefore a sucker for this kind of Lord of the Flies type story that depicts people reverting back to savagery when cut off from civilization. I don’t think that what happens here is unlikely; indeed I believe that Blindness is a mesmerizing and scarily accurate portrayal of what might happen if the world were struck by an actual ‘white sickness.’ Some of the things that occur over the course of the film (mainly to women) are absolutely horrifying, and yet at the same time the story is so compelling that I could not bring myself to look away. The only time the narrative really faltered was in the last twenty minutes, and the ending (which I will not reveal) left me feeling a little bit confused as to what the screenwriters and/or directors final intention was.
The long and short of it is that I was enthralled by this film for almost the entire time. I compare it to one of my favourite films from 2007 (and that was an amazing year by the way): Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Steven King novel The Mist. That movie is definitely flawed, but the human elements keep you on the edge of your seat. And the same can be said of Blindness. While it is not perfect, and while I can appreciate some of the critic’s complaints, ultimately I found it to be a very thrilling picture, and the filmmaking is superb. I really recommend that people see this movie, and more specifically in the cinema, as I suspect that it’s effectiveness is greatly heightened by a big screen and a good sound system. Furthermore, we should all support Meirelles who is a truly amazing cinematic talent.Blindness is in cinemas now
