Blindness (2008)

A city is ravaged by an epidemic of instant white blindness.

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writers:

José Saramago (novel), Don McKellar (screenplay)

Stars:

Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael García Bernal

15 wins & 20 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 Gugli	...	Mother of the Boy
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 | hospital | quarantine | epidemic | pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Hope 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 [Brazil] Miramax [United States]

Country:

Canada Brazil Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ceguera

Filming Locations:

Minhocão, Via Elevada Presidente João Goulart

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

BRL 1,223,734 (Brazil), 14 September 2008, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,950,260, 3 October 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$3,073,392, 12 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

In addition to cutting it, Julianne Moore dyed her signature red hair blonde for the film. This made her very uncomfortable, because people were giving the new color so much attention.

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Goofs

When the first blind man arrives home, he says he lives on the 14th floor. After his wife arrives you can see some trees through the kitchen window. Those trees should not be there.

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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 #8.30 (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

Decent adaptation that's just not as powerful as the book

I adored the book, it was both powerful and thought-provoking. The adaptation is fairly decent but I just didn't like it as much. It was gritty, well filmed but I expected more, way more. The movie felt somewhat censored to me for lack of a better term. I do give credit to the director for the clever way his characters go blind and his plays on light. The plot is interesting and mysterious making you wonder what is happening and how you would react to certain situations. Julianne Moore gave a restrained quality performance and the rest of the international cast was OK but not outstanding. I think it's another case where I should have watched the film before reading the book.

Rating: 7 out of 10