Interesting film that falters under some pomposity (Blindness (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Blindness (DVD)
Date:	07/07/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well acted

Disadvantages: Excessive allegory

note: originally written for my film review website, ShaunMunro.co.uk!

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The concept of Fernando Meirelles' Blindness is certainly of the more fascinating ideas of the year - a blindness epidemic begins sweeping an unnamed city without any indication as to its origin or means of propagation. From the opening moments of terror and confusion, this film has all the makings of a great picture - it is seemingly high-minded, socially conscious, artistically competent, and boasts a stellar cast - and whilst Blindness is certainly a solid thriller, a far smarter, more insightful film was possible inside of this premise.

As the blindness epidemic begins to spread, Blindness essentially becomes a depiction of humans reduced to zero - this anonymous metropolis places all of its inhabitants on largely an even keel, whereby most societal differences are, at least at first glance, seemingly eliminated.

Julianne Moore plays a woman immune to the blindness virus, and as such, in a world of the blind, she takes unto herself a Godly presence. Her nameless character is virtuous and kind-hearted, although wary of letting many know of her advantage (other than her husband, played by Mark Ruffalo), and to this extent, Blindness frequently considers the extent of human altruism, as well as noting those forces that can help, but choose to do nothing.

Aside from its concessions towards familial values, Blindness is a very gloomy depiction of the nature of man, yet the film's interesting food-for-thought is occasionally stifled by some veritably spoon-fed narration by Danny Glover's character, although fortunately the over-inflated rhetoric appears only in brief intermissions.

It was a sincere hope that Blindness might deviate from the tendency for "disorder narratives" to point blame towards the government, yet this film blatantly lampoons the "powers that be" with the most simplistic of means, lacking in any real moral relativism. Moreover, with its proclivity to represent the blind as a microcosm of society, it does invite certain contrivances - Gael Garcia Bernal's kleptocratic "King of Ward 3" barely manages to remain within the credible realm, even as delightfully demented as Bernal's performance is.

The film's various taglines include "Love is blind" and "Lust is blind", and ultimately, much of the narrative is driven by sexual power and desire, in an environment in which money and material possessions are of little worth. Sex is perhaps even a more basic need to the blind, and these ideas, given their considerable development, are a sight more unique and intriguing than the politically naïve dialectic.

To this end, the film's basal depiction of sexuality is immensely horrifying, with more than its dash of tragic irony for Moore's character who, whilst the only human blessed with the gift of sight, is also the only human subject to the visual terror of what transpires. A misreading of the film would view Blindness as an indictment of male sexuality, but simply, this is a film concerned with the tragic brutality of human nature.

Unfortunately, the film cannot resist some ham-fisted religious imagery, which is lithely slotted in for a five minute segment without a hint of subtlety, nor is it mentioned again in any sort of cohesive whole. The concept of a blindness epidemic as a biblical plague, perhaps a punishment from God, is a fascinating concept, but it misfires both with its heavy-handedness and its uneven development.

It is only too apt that a film concerned with God finds plausibility in a "Deus ex machina" close - that is to say, Blindness ends in very predictable fashion, although this is not so much a problem when considering the narrative punch it could have provided. By its end, Blindness seemed to write itself an ending both uplifting and dangerous, yet the more combative fallout is seemingly disregarded, and such an easily achieved dichotomy of adulation and horror falls upon deaf ears.

Blindness is a B-movie with A-movie aspirations - it is an entertaining thriller work that is likely too high-minded to find a large audience, yet also falters enough that it may alienate more liberal cinemagoers. Fernando Meirelles' sense for the visual is once again in great abundance (following on from City of God and The Constant Gardener), and the film also boasts some very solid performances (particularly from Moore and Ruffalo), yet Blindness is mired somewhat by its occasional excesses and occasional lack of coherence.

Summary: A solid but uneven thriller