The basis of the story is that an epidemic of blindness triggers the downfall of a mysteriously international city without a name.  In fact, names aren’t used at all in the plot, as the blind can find no use for them.  The main characters are quarantined in an abandoned mental hospital.  After just a few days of unassisted living, the hospital turns into an enormous port-a-potty, trash, and dirty everywhere, unable to clean after themselves.  The small societal structure, and the humans in that structure, within the hospital quickly deteriorates as the lack of necessities drive them to extreme measures.  The circumstances are horrifying, and it is certainly a scene that is difficult to watch thanks to the skills of director Fernando Meirelles.

Oscar nominated director Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardner) brings us this adaptation of the book by the same name, written by Nobel Prize-winning author, Jose Saramago.  The cinematography is beautiful , thanks to the knowing hand of Cesar Charlone (City of God, Sucker Free City).  The shots Meirelles and Charlone manage to capture, perfectly framed in their lens are stunning.  They could belong to an intense, but intriguing coffee table book.  They masterfully manipulate light, darkness (playing on the theme of the White Blindness), focus and shadows to create a haunting world that you believe can exist.  Meirelles commanded quite the performance of Julianne Moore playing ‘Doctor’s Wife,’ who shouldered the burden of carrying the plot through most of the movie.

While the film is certainly beautiful to look at, and there are scenes that aggressively move the audience to feel at least something, the pacing and plot leave much to be desired.  Some of the central acts that should have been the most poignant, lack power.  It’s like the story was stretching too hard to try and be more than it is.  Some of the more dramatic elements were harped on the length of the film, leaving an unpleasant impression on the viewer.  What could have been a affecting, and poignant cautionary tale, ended up being an extremely beautiful, philosophically appealing, but nonetheless, unbalanced, and uneven story that’s not quite sure where it fits between the art, and thriller genres.

3 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 37% – Cream of the Crop: 31%

Rated R for violence including sexual assaults, language and sexuality/nudity.

Blindness is the story of a society who’s citizens start going blind at an exponential rate.  It follows a group of people who are quarantined in a mental hospital as they are the first to go blind.  Our protagonist is the wife of an eye doctor (names are not used in the book, as the blind see little use for names-in fact there isn’t a single proper noun in the entire novel) who pretends to be blind so she can accompany her husband to the internment camp.

Those in the camp devolve quickly (in a similar style to Lord of the Flies) as they must fight for food rations, and for basic human rights.  The government fails to provide adequately for those quarantined and the conditions they live in are horrific, as the blindness is believed to be contagious epidemic, and no one will enter the hospital to help them.

Reading Blindness was a lot like being blind.  It’s difficult to maneuver (more difficult than expected), you’re not completely sure what’s happening around you, you feel like you’re probably missing something, and you’re not really sure where you’re going.  The book was originally written in Portuegese and it’s obvious that somethings didn’t translate very well (references to regular parts of European life that are completely foreign to Americans will be missed, or misunderstood).  Structurally, the writing was very confusing, as it’s not punctuated.  Long, drawn out conversations are not prefaced by who’s speaking, they’re not marked by quotation marks, and capitalization is sometimes utilized, but not always, making it unclear who is speaking.  The following is an example of such a conversation:

…As long as I can, the girl with dark glasses said, I’ll keep on hoping, hoping to find my parents, hoping the boy’s mother will turn up, You forgot to speak of the hope we all have, What’s that, Regaining our sight, It’s made to cling to such hopes, Well, I can tell you, without such hopes I would already have given up, Give me an example, Being able to see again, We’ve already had that one, give me another, I won’t, Why, You wouldn’t be interested…

Sentences like these run on for literally pages without a period, and without an explanation of who the conversation includes.

Although it was a struggle, I’m glad I stuck with Saramago, and finished this book.  The horrors he describes are so terrifying in that they could actually happen.  At first it was difficult for me to believe a government would take care of it’s citizens in need in such a poor fashion, but then I remembered the similar conditions of hurricane Katrina victims.  The scarcity of fuel, food, protection, all the basic human needs is a very viable situation if there was to be such an epidemic.  It really was an eye opening experience reading this book (pun intended).  I’d recommend this book wholeheartedly, with the disclaimer that it’s a fairly difficult read with some very explicit scenes (if the filmmakers show what Saramago actually describes, the film would most certainly be rated X, or at least NC-17).  I can’t wait to see director Fernando Meirelles does with this text (but truth be told, I’m praying that he changed the last three pages).

3 out of 4 stars

Below is the trailer for the film.

This movie seems to have everything going for it.  Literally, everything.  It’s directed by Fernando Meirelles.  The man we can thank for the near perfect City of God, and the 2006 Oscar favorite The Constant Gardner.  This Academy Award nominated director knows his stuff, if you don’t believe me, watch either of the two previously mentioned movies, give me a call, and I’ll say I told you so.

Blindness is based on the book of the same name, written by Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago, the plot follows a city wide epidemic causing blindness in 90% of the population.  The city’s ultimate and immediate goal becomes containment of the infection.  Those afflicted are quarantined to an abandoned mental hospital, where they are left with meager food rations and no contact with the outside world.  Left completely to their own devices, a sightless, savage society is formed based on gree and brutality.  Power is left in the hands of those that control food and supplies.  Left to their own devices, this ‘society’ quickly devolves and loses it’s humanity (a la Lord of the Flies).

The cast offers an endless supply of some of the most talented actors in Hollywood today. The Julianne Moore (Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Children of Men) plays the wife of a Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who’s infected.  She follows him to the quarantined hospital, keeping her sight a secret while leading/protecting the underdogs.  The film also stars the wickedly talented Gail Garcia Bernal (The King, Babel), Sandra Oh (Hard Candy, Sideways), Danny Glover and scores more.  Check out the full cast here.

Blindness is set to be released September 26th and while it’s not yet rated, if it stays true to Saramago’s novel, it will most likely be rated R.  Check out the official movie site at blindness-themovie.com.

Check out the following trailers and teasers as well (some of which feature the ridiculously awesome original score to Danny Boyle’s Sunshine).