Youth in Revolt
January 15
January 22
Drool
The Girl on the Train
The problem with Fernando Meirelles' Blindness, which screened this morning at the Cannes Film Festival, is that the milieu of the story, which is based on a novel by Jose Saramago, is bleak and confining. It's more than just the milieu, actually. The second and third act of this film delivers a kind of lockdown vibe.

A darkly emotional mood piece about of an outbreak of mass blindness, Blindness constitutes a blunt metaphor about how a pervasive lack of sight (i.e., perception, understanding) makes beasts or slaves of us all. Yes, agreed, of course...but this is basically an insane asylum drama -- most of it taking place in a squalid prison in which the victims of said blindness plague have been quarantined -- and as such produced, in me, a deep hunger to escape. Imagine a melodrama about blind people set inside the New Orleans Astrodome after Hurricane Katrina, after the toilets stopped working.
Not having read Saramago's book (or even having taken the time to to read reviews), I had gathered -- presumed -- that Don McKellar's screenplay adaptation would be about the widespread societal effects of a blindness epidemic. I was envisioning a kind of docudrama-like portrait of what happens when sight goes. Some kind of capturing of the logistical, political and even mundane results. I was hoping especially for a film that would rigorously avoid any attempt at pushing metaphor into viewer's faces. That is precisely what this film does by way of a narration voice-over by costar Danny Glover. This is mistake #1.
Mistake #2 is setting most of the film inside the "blindness prison," as it were. I know, I know...we're all living in a prison because we can't or won't "see," but I really, really didn't want to be stuck in this filthy hell-hole, and particularly being forced to witness the cruel and tyrannical thug behavior of the blind brutes (led by costars Gael Garcia Bernal and Maury Chaykin) as they humiliate and brutalize the reasonable blind people (opthomologist Mark Ruffalo, his wife Julianne Moore, call girl Alice Braga, random victim Yusuke Ilseya, old man Danny Glover and so on).
It's well directed as far as it goes, although I found the constant depictions of "white-out" blindness irritating. In actuality as well as generic cinematic depictions, blindness is a state of darkness -- blackness -- and so Meirelles and cinematographer Cesar Charlone , looking for a little stylistic intrigue, have gone in the other direction. I understood the why of it, but it began to tick me off after the eighth or ninth white-out.
Two or three people clapped at the end of the press screening. The reception at the press conference was on the muted side. The movie, I fear, is going to be generally "meh"-ed when it opens, and audiences are almost certainly going to steer clear. I respected Blindness -- I certainly agree with what it's saying -- but it didn't arouse me at all. Opening-night films at big festivals are often underwhelming on this or that level -- bland, suckish, so-so. I'm sorry to be saying what I'm saying as I worshipped Meirelles' City of God and very much admired The Constant Gardener. But the truth is that Blindness is more than a bit of a flub.
For what it's worth, the pacing, performances and tech credits are first-rate.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 14, 2008 at 3:50 AM
comment #1
Rich S.
says ...
Sounds like Day of the Triffids did it first, and better. Probably because it had giant, mobile carnivorous plants eating the hapless blind people.
Posted by Rich S.
at May 14, 2008 5:39 AM
comment #2
TJ Smoov
says ...
Obviously, I can't comment on the flick, but the choice to go "white" with the blindness depiction isn't "stylistic intrigue"---it's taken straight from the book, where the opthomologist describes the blindness as white blindess, like opening your eyes while submerged in milk.
Posted by TJ Smoov
at May 14, 2008 5:40 AM
comment #3
Krazy Eyes
says ...
Every time I read about this film I also immediately think of Day of the Triffids. Also, as a heads up for fans of DotT, the early 80s BBC miniseries adaptation of the novel is now available on DVD in the US. If you can look past the typically cheapjack BBC production values and outdated styles you'll find easily the best adaptation of the novel to date.
Posted by Krazy Eyes
at May 14, 2008 6:29 AM
comment #4
rockne
says ...
What I wish you would have talked about was why Julianne moore needs to pretend she's blind to be with her husband...(before you all knee-jerk me to another state, READ IMDB...it's right there in the synopsis)...why, in a world of blind people, does it matter if she can see or not? Never understood that convention...but maybe that's why there's drama...didn't much like the book...read his "All The Names" and enjoyed it...just didn't like Blindness...but I don't understand the conceit or why it's like that. Just wondering, but like I said, maybe that's why you couldn't say...some big spoiler.
Posted by rockne
at May 14, 2008 6:43 AM
comment #5
gruver1
says ...
Wells to T.J. Smoov: Of course -- it's a line of dialogue in the film also -- but movies are never obliged to follow the source material chapter and verse. Meirelles and his dp obviously could have done anything they cared to do, and I, for one, found it irksome. That high-contrasty, close-to-monochrome-y color scheme has been fashionable among cool directors or a good decade or so, including using the white-out thing from time to time, so don't tell me. Burt Lancaster to Mickey Saughnessy in From Here to Eternity: "I ain't tellin' you -- you're tellin' me."
Posted by gruver1
at May 14, 2008 6:56 AM
comment #6
Ronald McFirbank
says ...
Blind people tormenting each other while trapped in an insane asylum. That's a 60s play, not a 2000's movie.
Posted by Ronald McFirbank
at May 14, 2008 7:09 AM
comment #7
actionman
says ...
Can't wait to see this. The book was phenomenal. It's certainly a tricky narrative, but Wells, I am shocked you didn't love this film, as I really figured you would.
Could your terrible travel day have played any part in your relative lack of enthusiasm for the film? How was Ruffalo and Moore? They're perfectly cast in my opinion.
Posted by actionman
at May 14, 2008 7:23 AM
comment #8
btwnproductions
says ...
BLINDNESS didn't work any more as a play, either. Audiences will be deaf and dumb to the film.
Posted by btwnproductions
at May 14, 2008 7:29 AM
comment #9
Ponderer
says ...
I won't comment too much on the execution of the white blindness, but the necessity of it is unquestionable - it makes the prospect of blindness that much more alien and inconceivably difficult to deal with, as well as providing some semblance of hope that the condition might be something that just goes away.
I take you at your word that how they accomplished this might come off as gimmicky, and it's something I worried about when reading the novel. Still, I would've been uncomfortable changing the source material too much, especially when it comes to an utterly vital aspect of the story. I mean, good Lord, you don't get to play with a friggin' Nobel winner THAT often.
Posted by Ponderer
at May 14, 2008 7:44 AM
comment #10
Roman
says ...
There is an excellent Japanese Animated movie called "A Wind Named Amnesia" which could provide an interesting companion piece to this movie.
In it a wind Comes and completely erases the memory of all people, deleting everything, even ability to speak. It effects everyone except a guy and a woman. Something interesting happens though, these two don't try to find a cure to undo this because they understand it's futile, instead....
I can't recommend this film enough and the way it portays the effects on the civilization are really quite profound. Would love to hear anyone's take on this if anyone has seen it.
Posted by Roman
at May 14, 2008 9:00 AM
comment #11
JohnCope
says ...
What I don't get is why Wells was surprised by the execution of this one. I hated Meirelles' other pictures so of course I'm biased the other way but what about those films would ever give anyone the idea that he could do something subtle?
Posted by JohnCope
at May 14, 2008 9:20 AM
comment #12
T. S. Idiot
says ...
Is it just this still, or has Moore lost weight?
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at May 14, 2008 9:21 AM
comment #13
lipranzer
says ...
"What I wish you would have talked about was why Julianne moore needs to pretend she's blind to be with her husband"
Well, she pretends she's blind because if any higher ups found she could see, not only would she be whisked away from her husband, the powers that be would do everything in their power to try and figure out why she was the only one who could see, which may or may not have produced results for them, and probably wouldn't do her much good. And at the prison, it's certainly in her best interest not to reveal she can see.
Posted by lipranzer
at May 14, 2008 9:45 AM
comment #14
Rich S.
says ...
"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." -Irish proverb
Posted by Rich S.
at May 14, 2008 10:12 AM
comment #15
Ross
says ...
Great book... though an extremely tough one to read. There are virtually no paragraph breaks, no separation for the dialogue, and nobody has a name, it's just descriptions of who people are, so he's constantly referring to somebody as the Girl who showed up on Tuesday, which gets old when you're reading it for the 100th time.
The White blindness is a pretty integral part of the book, I'm glad they didn't change it. It gives them hope that it's not normal blindness, and may go away. The entire book is from the perspective of the wife, and she spends much of the book in the prison with her husband, though in the third act, they do go out into the world, where it gets more interesting.
I can't wait to see this!
Posted by Ross
at May 14, 2008 10:49 AM
comment #16
Ogami Itto
says ...
I can't recommend this film enough and the way it portays the effects on the civilization are really quite profound. Would love to hear anyone's take on this if anyone has seen it.
This is one of my favorite "apocalyptic" anime films, along with Grave of Fireflies. I haven't seen it in years and need to revisit it.
Posted by Ogami Itto
at May 14, 2008 11:04 AM
comment #17
K. Bowen
says ...
Sounds like it's suffused in literary preciousness.
Posted by K. Bowen
at May 14, 2008 12:03 PM
comment #18
Ponderer
says ...
Actually, it's not - the novel is very stylized, but I was surprised at what an easy read it was (especially since I've found a lot of Nobel winning books lose me about twenty pages in).
The choices - like not giving anyone a name - really drive home the atmosphere and themes of loss and confusion, like the reader is feeling along as much as the people stricken by the white blindness. Quite remarkable and precious, though not in the way you refer, I suspect.
OTOH, I really couldn't stand the semi-sequel Seeing, which didn't have half the focus or immediacy of Blindness. A real disappointment.
Posted by Ponderer
at May 14, 2008 12:12 PM
comment #19
Ross
says ...
The name thing didn't bother me nearly as much as the no paragraph thing. My mind needs a break every once and while, and when I was reading pages at a time with no stop, it got to me. Obviously another stylized choice, but one I hope not to run across again. I loved the story and the overwhelming sense of dread. I just love end of civilization stories for some reason.
"Is it just this still, or has Moore lost weight?"
Considering the ordeal they're going through, I'd expect her to have an starved look, probably worse.
Posted by Ross
at May 14, 2008 2:11 PM
comment #20
Celtia
says ...
Actually Jeff's wrong; white blindness, not darkness, is the more usual experience of being blind.
The frustrating effect of shadow against light is referred to constantly by Milton in Paradise Lost.
Posted by Celtia
at May 14, 2008 3:23 PM
comment #21
Daviddb
says ...
Obviously no sports fans on this board...and apparently no native New Orleanians either...but it's the SUPERDOME, Jeff. The Astrodome is in Houston.
Posted by Daviddb
at May 14, 2008 3:38 PM
comment #22
patsson
says ...
Does the Moore performnce warrant possible Oscar nod as many predict sites say she will ?Please Jeff let us know if she has a chance.
Posted by patsson
at May 14, 2008 11:07 PM
comment #23
trixfrix
says ...
In the book, the blindness is in fact described as being a white, milky blindness, like a sea of milk.
Everyone should read "Blindness." It is the most beautiful book, and it is so important. Read it.
Posted by trixfrix
at May 15, 2008 1:08 PM
comment #24
milan
says ...
It is the most beautiful book, and it is so important. Read it. engineering degree - Computer Science school - Law school
Posted by milan
at September 24, 2009 1:37 AM
comment #25
milan
says ...
In the book, the blindness is in fact described as being a white, milky blindness, like a sea of milk. Criminal Justice school -
Social Science School
Posted by milan
at September 24, 2009 1:39 AM
comment #26
onlinegames.myopenid.com
says ...
The frustrating effect of shadow against light is referred to constantly by Milton in Paradise Lost.
Posted by onlinegames.myopenid.com
at October 22, 2009 1:31 AM
comment #27
onlinegames.myopenid.com
says ...
Great post! free online games
Posted by onlinegames.myopenid.com
at October 22, 2009 1:32 AM
comment #28
sparesr4sissies
says ...
I haven't seen Blindness yet, but definitely may be interested after reading your review. Thanks! bowling how to
Posted by sparesr4sissies
at October 27, 2009 5:50 PM
comment #29
Duffy9
says ...
Great film I loved it.
Cheap Insurance Loans
Posted by Duffy9
at November 4, 2009 1:59 AM
comment #30
Louise Keri
says ...
The frustrating effect of shadow against light is referred to constantly by Milton in Paradise Lost.
Netz Infotech | Google Seo Rules
Posted by Louise Keri
at December 7, 2009 12:35 AM
comment #31
common
says ...
Produced under contract to Industry Canada's Canada's Digital Collections program (formerly known as SchoolNet), the Amazing Time Machine at the British Columbia Archives features a series of K-12 educational resources drawing upon archival records preserved by the Archives. cheapest air tickets - cheap flights to capetown - cheap holidays deals
Posted by common
at December 19, 2009 10:07 PM
comment #32
common
says ...
British Columbia Archives presents the Amazing Time Machine Professional Logo - stationery design
Posted by common
at December 19, 2009 10:08 PM
comment #33
canadian cialis
says ...
Your review very nice
The little blue pill has given a new life to the treatment of impotence and has a significant bearing on men who are suffering from erectile dysfunction. It is worth noting that just finding a "quick fix" for impotence does not overcome other issues that may have been the cause of the dysfunction before treatment began.
Posted by canadian cialis
at January 3, 2010 3:40 AM
comment #34
scamanti
says ...
Good info thanks for sharing with us.
Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.Lets Be a friendship on the net with around the world via internet.Lets be talk about lifestyle like Astaga.com lifestyle on the net.Kalau sempat berkunjunglah di laen waktu ke festival museum nusantara untuk sekedar melihat barang langka yang ada di museum.
Best Regards,
========================================================
Aku cuma seorang Blogger yang cinta seo Astaga.com lifestyle on the net | Festival Museum Nusantara on Tutorial Digital
Posted by scamanti
at January 5, 2010 12:01 PM
comment #35
scamanti
says ...
Jan 15| Jadwal Piala Dunia 2010 | Piala Dunia 2010 |Video Rin Sakuragi di Film Suster Keramas|Film Suster Keramas| Jadwal Audisi Indonesian Idol 2010|Pendaftaran Online Indonesian Idol 2010|nowgoogle.com adalah multiple search engine popular|Rin Sakuragi|Primbon - Ramalan Jodoh Pasangan|Primbon|Ramalan Jodoh|Download Software Microsoft Office 2010|Internet Download Manager - IDM v 5.17 Full Version|Microsoft Office 2010|Internet Download Manager |IDM | Jan 14 | Sitemeter | Jan 12 |Jan 11 | Cerita |Jan 10 |Lifestyle On The Net |Jan 09 |Jan 08 | SEO | Skripsi fisika |skripsi matematika |Skripsi Ekonomi |Skripsi |Jan 07 |Lowongan Kerja |SMU HOT |Jan 06 |Master SEO Indonesia |Jan 04 |Jan 02 |Ramalan Tahun 2010 |Des 31 |Des 30 |Des 29 |Des 28 | Des 26 Des 25|Des 24|Des 23|Des 22|Des 21|Des 20|Des 19|Des 16|Des 15|Des 14|Des 12|Des 11|Des 09|Des 08|Des 07|Des 06|Des 04|Des 03Des 02 | Des 01 |Nov 29|Nov 28|Nov 26|Nov 24|Nov 21|Nov 20|Nov 16|Nov 14|Nov 12|Nov 10|Nov 07|Nov 06|Nov 04|Nov 03|Nov 02|Nov 01|Gurita Cikeas|SEO|Tutorial|Lifestyle|Kerja Keras|template blogspot|Lifestyle on the net|template blogger|Lifestyle on the net|tutorial|Tutorial|stardik|Tutorial|kerja|Tutorial|Tutorial|Jasa SEO|Download Sang Pemimpi|Video billiard|Bisnis Online
Posted by scamanti
at January 15, 2010 12:04 PM
comment #36
scamanti
says ...
Good info thanks for sharing with us.
Nice information, valuable and excellent, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need, thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
lifestyle on the net
Do u like lifestyle ? here is some interesting article about lifestyle : Astaga.com lifestyle on the net and this one Astaga.com lifestyle on the net.
Indonesia Java International Destination
This is some choice if u not like go to museum : Indonesia Java International Destination.Just only introducing not a advertising. if u like this please visit it and enjoy your travelling in to Indonesia Java International Destination .
festival museum nusantara
Do u like traveling in to museum ? here is some introduce museum from my country : Festival Museum Nusantara.
Best Regards,
peace,love,unity,and respect
========================================================
Astaga.com lifestyle on the net | Indonesia Java International Destination | Festival Museum Nusantara | Astaga.com lifestyle on the net on Tutorial Digital
Posted by scamanti
at January 15, 2010 12:04 PM
comment #37
Bad Credit Mobiles
says ...
Nice review - I've been after Blindless for a while, not sure if its my type, but I will probably check it out anyway.
--------------------------------------------------
Bad Credit Contract Phones - treadmill
Posted by Bad Credit Mobiles
at January 20, 2010 1:17 PM
comment #38
arentin
says ...
Thank you for share it
Arentin Blog Arentin
Posted by arentin
at February 2, 2010 5:28 PM
Post a comment