Notes on Blindness

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Raphael G @raphagimenes 04/09/2020 Super cool concept for making a movie, and a beautiful story. See more 02/16/2020 It's OK quite interesting and for me the dubbed voices do actually work. Wanted to like it more. See more David M 02/26/2019 This is a strange and powerful film. It's basically a documentary, with the parts of the people involved portrayed on screen by actors, lip-synching the real life words of the participants. It makes for an other-worldly experience, that's gives a deep insight in to the at once familiar but also utterly alien the main protagonist is forced to inhabit. The film relates the experiences of John Hull, a writer and theologian who found himself losing his sight just before the birth of his first child. To make sense of his experiences he taped his thoughts - first, reflections on the more practical part of his experiences. As someone who needed to read for his work, for example, he went searching for audiobooks of the academic texts he needed. He discovered that it was assumed that 'blind people don't read big books'; so with an army of friends and families, a library of his books was committed to tape. As time passes he discovers he needs to understand the condition itself, not just the practicalities of it; he'd found himself so busy preparing for and learning to live with blindness that it prevented him for understanding it. He had to learn to think about his condition: 'If I didn't understand, it would defeat me'. So begins a series of profound reflections which, as a person who has lived with chronic pain for 20 years, I find very resonant and truthful. The person offering a miracle cure (hypnotherapy) who can't accept John's insistence that his eyes won't just grow back; the people who say he doesn't want his sight back because he seems to have adjusted to it. If we complain about our condition, we're classified as defeatist moaners; if we accept it (as we have to), we've given up (especially as Christians). Onlookers seem only to have categories for the heroic overcomer or pathetic victim; there's no room for someone to keep on, keeping on. The reflection that 'everyday I wake up, I've lost my sight again'; a painfully truthful expression of the reality that every day I wake up, I'm in pain again. The reflection on why bad things happen to Christians - 'why shouldn't they happen to me?'; a line I've used myself. This struggle seems to be a bigger one for the people around us, then for the sufferers ourselves. As he says 'I don't regard faith as a shield against the normal ups and downs of life'. His child screams; they rush to discover it's a finger trapped in a door, but even so he's impotent. "The discovery that you're useless is not a nice discovery for a father to make'; how true. I lie some days in pain, aware of my enforced physical absence from my children and my apparent uselessness as a result. There are many more moments to reflect on, but the surreal and moving conclusion is the most weighty, as John's dreams are shown melting in to on-screen reality. He ends at a point where blindness (chronic illness) either enables in the sufferer some kind of rebirth, or it destroys you. As he says this, him and his family are soaked in rain, a symbolic baptism and regeneration. It's truthful, healing and challenging all at once. A unique and wonderful film, to be lived with and drunk deep from - especially for chronic illness sufferers and those who travel with them. See more 03/17/2018 Incredibly moving film, with an in-depth view on blindness. The use of John Hull's actual cassette tape recordings as the dialogue for the film works wonders. As I actually met John Hull, as he was a member of my Church I can say the main actor did a wonderful job of imitating all his characteristics. Definitely check this film out. See more 09/12/2017 Feels like beating up a (blind) puppy criticising this but crikey I found this dull. Maybe the book it more interesting but I found this laboured, a bit poncey if I'm honest and completely un-engaging. See more 08/22/2017 Sad stuff about a young father, writer and teacher going blind. It's labled as a documentary, but it's more like a biography if you ask me. It's done with extraordinary shots. Usage of colors, dimming and haze is magnificent along with ace camerahandling. It looks like a Malick painting at times. Amazing sounds here too. I've read it was made in two versions, one ment for blind people. I saw the version without the extra sounding for blind, but I was still amazed. Great acting, and it's very cool with true voiceovers taken from tapes he recorded in real life. Lipsynching old tapes must be quite a challange, especeially making it fit and blend into the rest of the story. Solid and inspiring film. I'm recently getting more impressed with what Netflix can come up with. 7.5 out of 10 cassettes. See more Read all reviews

Notes on Blindness

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