Blindness Reviews

the book is incredible and the film isn't anything behind
Saramago is really excellent ... the way he writes and how the ending is unique ... the book has most powerful scenes that in the movie

I consider this a so-so movie. The acting was good, the story somewhat intellectual. I don't mind intellectual movies, but this one didn't really have a reason behind it. Was it to show humanities contrasts? That's been done in better movies. Was it to show the degradation of humanity in the loss of a moral society, again done better. So, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

Even though the reviews were rather mixed on this feature, I was still curious about the damned thing and I was quite eager to check it out. After all, it had been directed by Fernando Meirelles who was responsible for 'Cidade de Deus', easily one of the best movies from the past 10 years, at least, that’s my opinion. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I thought it was pretty good. Indeed, the directing was very well done and all the actors gave some solid performances. Above all, the story was rather fascinating and it kept me on the edge until the end. Indeed, I always had a weak spot for apocalyptic movies and this one didn't fail to interest me. The main issue, I guess, was probably how blind people were portrayed in this movie, which was basically a very dark and negative portray. Indeed, at some point, most of them eventually started to behave like animals and I can understand that some people would find it rather revolting. Anyway, all in all, it is definitely an acquired taste and I have to admit that not everything did work (the ending was pretty random and a little too easy) but I liked the damned thing and I think it is definitely worth a look.

Julianne Moore was incredibly courageous and brave, both to do this film, and in her acting choices throughout the film. She's an awesome artist.

Spoiler Alert



After people start to lose their sight, the government sets up a special quarantined zone so that it will not spread. After an eye doctor goes blind, his wife (who still has her sight) says she has gone blind as well. She becomes the primary caregiver of these people. The conditions in which they live become poor as the days drag on. People began to take control, proclaiming themselves to the appointed king of the quarantined people. What ensues next is chaos. People will do whatever they can to stay alive.

Blindness is particularly effective during the opening hour. We see all these people mysteriously going blind, claiming to see white light. Then we see them struggle to cope with it, relying on the people they are now housing with to help them out. We see them desperately trying to find some way of life, some understanding of why this is happening. Most of all we these people trying to maintain any shred of humanity they possibly can. The opening act was full of interesting dialogue, interesting events and damn fine acting.

Act 2 however, becomes more of a power struggle between different groups of the blind. What is lost upon act 2 is that Blindness does not have to be a pandemic; there are still ways of living with blindness. This movie became almost like a blind zombie flick without the zombies. People were losing their minds, acting out selfishly. The transition from smooth act 1 to over the top act 2 was too much. It became a mass jumble of people living in desperate conditions, bowing down to one man going through the same thing they were. The one that made it even more on unbearable is that the good side supposedly had an advantage. One person in the entire complex can see, and what does she do she waits until it was far too late. Typical cliché, the hero only becomes the hero after something bad happens.

Blindness is a film that genuinely had my attention. There was much worth praising about the opening hour. It was mysterious; the camera shots were in and out of focus to help us understand what the blind people were feeling and going through. The acting on all fronts was top notch. Ruffalo and Moore were awesome, bringing to life the pain both their characters felt about being divided by something they had no control over. Alice Braga plays an interesting part. Her character admires Moore’s character for what she is doing, but is also so drawn to her husband because they can relate to each other.

Many people will disagree but the scene of passion between the doctor and the woman with dark glasses was necessary. The use of white light and out of focus shots is what sold the scene for me. They knew nothing about each other really, yet the doctor and this woman were drawn together because of what was happening to them. His wife could see and he points out during the middle that she is more like a mother to him then a wife. The only thing that sort of lets me down after this scene is that they all go back to living in order and stay together as a pack of friends. Perhaps this could have brought a better tension to act 2 then fighting amongst other blind prisoners. After this scene and then the escape from the compound it becomes the clichéd march through wasteland. There was no reason the world became a destroyed mess, blindness is not a viral outbreak, people can still go on with their lives. Perhaps showing how the whole world would adapt to living blind would have been a better film to watch.

Shut the film off with 10 minutes left. If you were disappointed with the second act, then stop right before the not so interesting conclusion. It is boring and serves no purpose to the story. It makes the entire film seem pointless and random, so if you love the entire film I suggest not watching the last 5-10 minutes.

different film - nice idea well execucted - alittle strained towards the end - kind of like one dimensional.

Uma das melhores adaptações pro cinema de um livro que eu já vi. Questionamentos sobre a consistência do enredo a parte, depois de um ano lendo o livro (é, eu demorei) e esperando pra ve-lo no cinema, nada poderia me agradar tanto quanto o que Fernando Meireles fez com a obra de Saramago.
Fotografia impecável, roteiro impecável e atuações impecáveis.

''The only thing more terrifying than blindness is being the only one who can see.''

A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant "white blindness". Those first afflicted are quarantined...

Yusuke Iseya: First Blind Man

On release, Blindness was strangely labeled the new Children of Men, even comparisons were drawn to the dystopia I Am Legend. Even though it has actresses from both (Julianne Moore and Alice Braga), it results as being worse than both combined, it is safe to say, Blindness shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Alfonso Cuarón's exceptional Children of Men. The quality speaks for itself if you compare these projects, and even I am Legend had it's CG flaws and unoriginal strains.

However, that doesn't mean not to miss out on Blindness as it is a decent enough drama with some solid performances. The film opens very intriguingly, an Asian man in an unnamed city goes blind at the wheel, this is the unknown start of the epidemic and traffic chaos has already erupted around him. Obviously then director Fernando Meirelles' view of the worlds morality in this film is shown as a man appears to help him, only to kick him out of his own car and drive away.
Perhaps this is where the main fault lies, the film tries so hard to hammer home a message that society has lost sight, using literal blindness as a metaphor for all that is bad in human thought and action. No wonder various foundations have protested against the concept and story itself.
It might have been wiser to let the viewers decide for themselves how this city would react and keep things relatively ambiguous. People going blind doesn't necessarily mean they will become selfish, indifferent and aggressive yet overall the film puts this point across repeatedly. An example is the doctor played by Mark Ruffalo, he completely changes in character, and even in the middle of the crisis, he cheats on his wife.

I think what saves Blindness overall though, and the reasons for me giving it 3 stars is that it is nicely structured and evenly paced while looking visually stunning, it is supposed to be set in an unidentified city and there are no clues at all to where it is filmed which is successful, and adds to the experience. The ruined and deserted city caused by the aftermath is also terrifically done.

The performances are definitely worth a mention, Julianne Moore is an excellent emotional core as one of the few humans immune to the blindness and carries the film. I also liked Alice Braga, Yuseke Iseya and Gael García Bernal who has fun as one of the quarantined victims who tries to take over the wards for everything they have to achieve personal profit. However, I was disappointed with Mark Ruffalo who is normally a fine actor (Collateral,Zodiac) but he struggles with the material and delivering his character here. Danny Glover isn't great either and his clunky voice-overs don't help matters any further.

You will enjoy this film more if you can see past the over emphasized moral message and plot-holes. It would take too long to go through them all but for example: everyone is blind yet not once does anyone call each other by name, it would surely help the situation! I can't understand what Meirelles was trying to achieve with the non-use of name calling for the characters.
Overall, Blindness is an average standard drama, that is worth seeing for the visuals and mediocre performances. However, if you want something similar and in my view much better, watch the superior Children of Men. Let's face it, anything Fernando Meirelles ended up doing after his masterpiece City of God, would have had serious problems living up to the imposed pressure of equaling such an achievement. Blindness doesn't even come close to the shadow of greatness City of God basks in, which to me, shows complacency and a lack of utilizing the same potential. Possibly the source material is to blame in Meirelles favour, only time will tell when we see the work from his next conjecture.

So Fernando Meirelles, a film about Blindness...I don't see a point, thats for sure.

Depois dos espetaculares "Cidade de Deus" e "O Jardineiro Fiel", Fernando Meirelles nos brinda com seu novo longa "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira". Com ótimos atores, técnica impecável, trilha sonora envolvente, o longa se destaca em 2008 em meio a tantas outras produções de respeito.

A fita conta a história de uma epidemia de cegueira inédita e inexplicável que atinge uma cidade. Chamada de 'cegueira branca', já que as pessoas atingidas apenas passam a ver uma superfície leitosa, a epidemia de alastra cidade a fora se instalando nos olhos de todos, menos de uma mulher.

Mesmo revelando no título, o longa não fala da cegueira. Pelo menos não é apenas isso. "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira" é uma história sobre a degradação da sociedade, os limites do ser humano, a falta de moralidade. Mostra o que acontece quando seres humanos reagem quando são retirados seus direitos, dogmas e proteção.

A doença misteriosa que atinge os seres humanos de uma população é mero pretexto para que uma análise do mundo em que vivemos seja feita. Ao mesmo tempo em que os indivíduos perdem sua visão, o lado escuro de suas respectivas almas vem à tona, revelando seus comportamentos mais rústicos e malígnos.

Cheio de cenas atordoantes, "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira" chega a chocar com tantas atrocidades que o ser humano pode fazer em benefícil próprio. A cena em que as mulheres, enfileiradas, andam rumo ao estupro é avassaladora, tanto quanto a própria cena do estupro. A fotografia, que ora nítida, ora esbranquiçada de tão embassada nos leva para dentro da história. Como se nós também estivéssemos cegos. Aspecto ténico inquietante de tão perfeito.

No planos das atuações, só tem fera. Julianne Moore está como nunca vista antes, incrível. Gael García Bernal como vilão da trama também é bastante satisfatório. Seu personagem é de dar nojo e calafrios de tanta crueldade que faz com tanta naturalidade. Estas atuações são tão convincentes que chega a ofuscar as interpreteções de Mark Ruffalo e Alice Braga, ambos competentíssimos.

Ao término da sessão, o sorriso abre de orgulho de Fernando Meirelles. Não consegue superar "O Jardineiro Fiel", nem "Cidade de Deus". No entanto, supera com maestria qualquer expectativa em relação ao filme e deixa registrado uma obra que será lembrada por muitos anos.