Blindness (2008)

A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant "white blindness". Those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where the newly created "society of ... See full summary »

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writers:

José Saramago (novel), Don McKellar (screenplay)

Stars:

Yûsuke Iseya, Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore

12 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yûsuke Iseya	...	First Blind Man
Jason Bermingham	...	Driver #1
Eduardo Semerjian	...	Concerned Pedestrian #1
Don McKellar	...	Thief
Ciça Meirelles	...	Driver #2
Antônio Fragoso	...	Concerned Pedestrian #2
Lilian Blanc	...	Concerned Pedestrian #3
Douglas Silva	...	Onlooker #1
Daniel Zettel	...	Onlooker #2
Yoshino Kimura	...	First Blind Man's Wife
Joe Pingue	...	Taxi Driver
Susan Coyne	...	Receptionist
Fabiana Guglielmetti	...	Mother of the Boy (as Fabiana Gugli)
Mitchell Nye	...	Boy
Danny Glover	...	Man with Black Eye Patch

Storyline

A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant "white blindness". Those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where the newly created "society of the blind" quickly breaks down. Criminals and the physically powerful prey upon the weak, hoarding the meager food rations and committing horrific acts. There is, however, one eyewitness to the nightmare. A woman whose sight is unaffected by the plague follows her afflicted husband to quarantine. There, keeping her sight a secret, she guides seven strangers who have become, in essence, a family. She leads them out of quarantine and onto the ravaged streets of the city, which has seen all vestiges of civilization crumble.

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Plot Keywords:

blindness | quarantine | food | hospital | plague | 

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Taglines:

Faith is blind.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Ensaio Official site [br] Miramax [us]

Country:

Canada Brazil Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ceguera

Filming Locations:

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,950,260 (USA) (3 October 2008)

Gross:

$3,073,392 (USA) (10 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhombus Media, O2 Filmes, Bee Vine Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several images in the film are directly lifted from the paintings of Lucian Freud. These include the nude woman laying face down on the bed in the mental hospital as well as the man laying on his back with his arm over his face with a whippet at his side.

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Goofs

The pistol used in the movie appears to be a snub-nosed revolver, typically holding between 5 to 10 bullets. The number of rounds fired off without any indication of reloading is closer to 15 throughout the "Ward 3" standoff.

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Quotes

[first lines]
First Blind Man: I'm blind.

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Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.141 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"The Hexagrams"
Written by Marco Antônio Guimarães
(c) 1993 Uakti Music - Used by Permission
Performed by Marco Antônio Guimarães (as Uakti)
Provided courtesy of Decca Label Group

User Reviews

Opens your eyes for something you don't want to see

The movie has its merits. It brings you into the story, making you feel all the emotions felt by the characters, and in my opinion this is why some people didn't like it; it opens your eyes for things that nobody wants to see. I'm not saying that a disease like this one could happen, but others may come, and that's a reality.

The movie makes you feel extremely uncomfortable; I caught myself thinking about leaving the room sometimes. The atmosphere that Fernando Meireles built is so heavy and dark (even thought the whole movie is full of bright colors) that it makes you feel something like depression, sadness, and you keep thinking in the movie after it has finished. The acting helped a lot in this aspect; all the actors did their best to give a perfect sense of reality.

If you want just to spend some time watching a good apocalyptic movie, this is not the one. It may be considered as "cult" in someway, by the fact that you don't watch it to get entertained, but to reflect about it.

If I had to grade this movie based on how I felt during it, I would give it a 0, but I have to say that, above everything, it is a great movie.

8/10