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IMDbPro

Imagine

  • 20122012
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Imagine (2012)
Drama
A blind teacher breaks the rules to help a female student rediscover the pleasures of life.A blind teacher breaks the rules to help a female student rediscover the pleasures of life.A blind teacher breaks the rules to help a female student rediscover the pleasures of life.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Andrzej Jakimowski
  • Writer
    • Andrzej Jakimowski(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Edward Hogg
    • Alexandra Maria Lara
    • Melchior Derouet
  • Director
    • Andrzej Jakimowski
  • Writer
    • Andrzej Jakimowski(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Edward Hogg
    • Alexandra Maria Lara
    • Melchior Derouet
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 10 nominations

    Photos18

    Imagine (2012)
    Imagine (2012)
    Melchior Derouet and Alexandra Maria Lara in Imagine (2012)
    Alexandra Maria Lara and Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Alexandra Maria Lara and Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Alexandra Maria Lara and Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Edward Hogg in Imagine (2012)
    Alexandra Maria Lara in Imagine (2012)
    Actor Edward Hogg, director Andrzej Jakimowski and actor David Atrakchi attends the 'Imagine' Premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

    Top cast

    Edit
    Edward Hogg
    Edward Hogg
    • Ian
    Alexandra Maria Lara
    Alexandra Maria Lara
    • Eva
    Melchior Derouet
    Melchior Derouet
    • Serrano
    Francis Frappat
    • Doctor
    João Lagarto
    João Lagarto
    • Brother Humberto
    Alix Planco
    • Ian's Student
    António Rolo
    • Ian's Student
    Cláudia Soares
    • Ian's Student
    Denilson Gomes
    • Ian's Student
    Ellie Wallwork
    Ellie Wallwork
    • Ian's Student
    Grace Whitford
    • Ian's Student
    Jason Monero
    • Ian's Student
    Jonathan Delalonde
    • Ian's Student
    Josua Black
    • Ian's Student
    Lucy Hogan
    • Ian's Student
    Maya Al-Kadri
    • Ian's Student
    Sérgio Neves
    • Ian's Student
    Sofia Santos
    • Ian's Student
    • Director
      • Andrzej Jakimowski
    • Writer
      • Andrzej Jakimowski(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews10

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Challenges viewers to use all of their sense perception
    French Novelist Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery lies in not seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes." Polish Director Andrzej Jakimowski's Imagine, a film about the world of the visually impaired, takes us beyond sight to look at the world through different eyes, that of the totality of our senses. Winner of the 2014 Audience Award and Best Director at the Warsaw Film Festival, Imagine is set in Lisbon, Portugal at an institute for the blind where children are taught to live with their disability, to not take risks, and to be comfortable at all times. When Ian (Edward Hogg) a non-conformist teacher who is also visually impaired is hired at the school, however, the safety of their world is shaken.

    Rejecting the use of a cane, Ian teaches the children to achieve spatial orientation by using all of their senses including moving by the resonance of sound vibrations (echolocation), instinct, and the creative use of their imagination. Confident and even slightly over-aggressive, Ian charms the children and gives them a reason to hope, though they are always testing and questioning him to prove that he is one of them and never seem quite convinced of his sincerity. Ian's sessions take place right under the window of Eva (Alexandra Maria Lara), an adult patient who never leaves her room and does not speak to anybody. Surprisingly, she becomes one of his most responsive students and there is even a hint of romance.

    Taking the students out into the streets of Lisbon, we see the city in all its light and beauty, but the blind can see none of it. Ian clicks his tongue and snaps his fingers when he walks, using the sound that bounces off objects to create his own space, teaching the students how to visualize with their ears. As Eva wears a pair of high heel shoes for the first time, the two bond as they begin to trust each other. Together they visit a café (where she flirts with a young man), walk along the harbor and cross busy streets without any aids other than their ability to listen for the sounds of vehicles, footsteps, or other obstacles in their path.

    With them is Serrano (Melchior Derouet), a young blind boy whom Ian asks to use his imagination to "see" a ship in the harbor. Jakimowski resists the temptation to idealize Ian or portray the disabled as saints. Neither does he take sides when the new teacher is challenged by the school doctor and head teacher of the school (Francis Frappat) who is concerned that he is giving the children the illusion of hope. Convinced of the value of his approach, however, Ian walks a thin line between taking risks and being reckless and crosses the line once too often.

    Supported by the authentic performances of Hogg and Lara, Jakimowski, as in his great 2007 film Tricks, creates an atmosphere of poetry and magic that challenges viewers to use all of their sense perception to create the world. According to Jakimowski, "We the sighted perceive the world very similarly to the blind. We also don't see what's important…We're all blind. In a sense we are blinder than they are. Even more, because in their own way they compensate with other senses." In this case, it's the blind leading the blind so that we all can see.
    helpful•3
    1
    • howard.schumann
    • Aug 10, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 12, 2013 (Poland)
    • Countries of origin
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Portuguese
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Blind Watching
    • Filming locations
      • Lisbon, Portugal
    • Production companies
      • Zjednoczenie Artystów i Rzemieslników
      • KMBO
      • Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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