Imagine

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.

Again, out of nothing I chose to watch to this movie that ended up being a fantastic immersion into a slow pace sensible reality.

The technical features of the film, as intentional creations, say, the increased sounds of the environment are perfect; they invite you to be paying attention to details, no hurry, just feel.

The script though is very simple and with no highly complex layers overlapping, a directional plot being unleashed to the end in a good rhythm.

For these reasons, an 8 could be enough for rating, but I feel that for the urge for more sensible movies such as that, I can give it a 9.

We are all looking at things, and never seeing nothing. ;)

Avoid like the plague.

Just wanted to write a quick warning, so that you won't be deceived by the hype here, so far. On its favour, I can state the sensibility displayed and the noble cause. And, being a Lisboner myself, it is obviously a very beautiful, soulful and picturesque place to film. Nevertheless, the cinematographer Adam Bajerski did a very interesting job.

OK, that's mostly it. The acting is terrifyingly dull. Starting right with the main actor - I mean, this guy couldn't act if his life depended on it. Cringeworthy. Alexandra Lara, while far from a top-class performer, shows more than enough chops when rightly directed (vide the superb Control). Not the case here. Of course the campy, rather pedestrian dialogue never helps. And its delivery feels ever so awkward, not for once natural or credible. People just don't talk like that. I don't even want to dwell much on the script problems, but why the hell would English, french (and even a German ex-pat) blind children be doing on such a far from luxurious institution in Lisbon? Certainly all the sun and light are not the best treatment for the blind-eye - probably explaining the high blindness rates. You'll very often find yourself bumping into a blind person, whilst walking the streets of Lisbon.

To sum things up, in the hands of the right director this could have definitely been something. Keeping the moody slow rhythm and attention to sounds, but being more demanding with the extras and supporting actors. Even Ian's darker side should have been more wisely explored. Instead you are left with a slow movie, going nowhere, with a somewhat ridiculous script and with weakly handled tension scenes. You'd be better off driving that same 28 tram at the end of the movie and visiting a city far more interesting that its all-too-scenic display.

I saw this film thinking that i was going to see a typical drama movie, but instead i found a heart-warming lesson of life.

He's a teacher who shows to the blind kids how to use their senses instead of their cane, and the funny thing is that he also is blind. He teaches the children to use their imagination to "see" the things around them, to sense with every part of their body without missing the things we usually overlooked because we are just looking not seeing. He later gets into some trouble for his particular way of teaching.

I know this movie isn't gonna like to everybody, but you must give it a chance not just to see it but for the beautiful message in it.

Ian, a blind man, can find his way along the streets of Lisbon on his own and without the use of a cane. He listens intently and professes to see more with his imagination than with his eyes. A school for blind children takes Ian on as a teacher, but not without deep misgivings. As Ian takes away the children's canes and leads them into the streets, evidence mounts that Ian's methods are more dangerous than they appear and even that he is a fraud. At the same time a reclusive and wary young woman at the school, Eva, decides to place her trust in Ian. Eva stands to vindicate Ian or be the final nail in his coffin.

Imagine is an unconventional and moving film. It is the kind that renews your faith in the magic of film and stories. Filmed on location in Lisbon, the scenery is a treat for those who can see. So is the story. It kept me guessing until the end. The characters are balanced; all are vulnerable, but not powerless. Despite how good Imagine is, it was not widely released in North America. I wish I knew the reason. Many people make fun of it, but that is the case with all films. Each film appeals to certain people, not everyone. I like this film because I too see more with my imagination than with my eyes, and I try to use all my senses when I take a walk in the city as well as the natural world. Those who don't agree won't like this film. Seen at the Toronto international film festival.