Movie Review - Blindness
For every decade, there is a defining movie theme. The question is whether these thematic movies reflect the psyche of society or if they steer societal sentiment towards a particular direction. In either case, it is clear that the “end of the world” genre defines this decade. One can understand the dire mood of writers and directors considering what has occurred over the past eight years, i.e., terrorist attacks, war and economic crisis. Movies such as “I Am Legend”, “Children of Men”, “Cloverfield” and “The Happening” all have exposed us to differing visions of an apocalyptic future. “Blindness” can be added to this list of films.
As evident by the title, “Blindness” concerns an epidemic of sudden blindness that quickly spreads throughout the population of a major Canadian city. The initial victims of the disease are sent to a military quarantined zone where the government leaves them to fend for themselves, while providing the occasional food provisions. Soon, the residents of the quarantined area establish rules and regulations that ease the suffering of the afflicted. Eventually, villainous characters enter the quarantined zone who threaten the relatively harmonious society that evolved.
As in “Lord of the Flies,” “Blindness” addresses the issue of human nature as it pertains to the need to aid the common good verses the individual’s selfish desires. Director Fernando Meirelles (“The Constant Gardener”, “City of God”) shows us a world in which even the newly blind can discover ways to subjugate their fellow human beings. This disturbing portrait culminates in an aurally graphic scene in which the viewer also loses sight of the unfolding events.
Mr. Meirelles’s deliberate character and plot development is a hallmark of his directorial style. Yet, it is surprising that the producers of “Blindness” allowed Meirelles to use these methods in an era of major motion pictures that typically blasts the plot into immediate action. Nonetheless, Meirelles still fails to fully develop his main characters and, thus, fails to create a connection between these characters and the audience. Instead, Meirelles builds a terrible atmosphere that invites the audience to feel the suffering of all the characters.
Overall, “Blindness” convincingly achieves its goal of portraying the collapse of society. Moreover, Julianne Moore (Doctor’s Wife) and Mark Ruffalo (Doctor) give extremely effective performances. Unfortunately, because of its efficacy in achieving this horrific vision, “Blindness” probably would not serve as an entertaining distraction from the everyday turmoil the average moviegoer seeks to escape. This is a recommended film but proceed with caution.
- Kevin Leckerman
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