My first problem with the film, and perhaps the most insurmountable issue, is that this material is just plain hackneyed at this point. How many times can we see someone regurgitate the Stanford Prison Experiment in fictional form, this LORD OF THE FLIES microcosm that has been done and redone and redone and redone. Can we just accept it as a given that, under extreme duress, groups of people play out these same power dynamics again and again and again?Moriarty - Ain't It Cool News
Well he's right. There's nothing really new here. But if you show me anything new in mainstream film in recent years, I'll buy you a drink. But this movie is worth seeing and I'll tell you why.
This movie makes you ask yourself which side you're on.
This movie starts with the "sane" world that we all know and love. Everyone out for themselves. Going about their business and trying to avoid everyone else. We get the typical "my marriage hs some issues" moments from the Julianne Moore/Mark Ruffalo union. We meet a few key players. Then people start going blind, and everything goes to shit.
The "sides" I'm talking about in this movie are the usual ones.
If you're being cynical like the critics of this movie, you're saying "I know what happens here. There's nothing to keep me engaged". Well you've thrown your hat in with #2, and frankly, you're the real problem here. But I'll come back to that. Maybe you know what happens, but how can you not be engaged watching this? People are left without enough food, they don't have clean water or working toilets. They live in squalor and constant fear of the quarantine guards outside. They don't hear from their loved ones. There are children who's parents can't see them. And on top of all that, they can't see. They couldn't even distract themselves from it all for a few minutes by reading this stupid blog post.
Then we go inside the camp. No one can see except Julianne (There are no names in this movie by the way). That means what you think it means. No one is judged by their looks. Everyone is judged by what they say. Mark Ruffalo is a doctor (An opthamologist. The eye doctor was the center of the spreading contagion. A nice detail and obvious when you think about it). At first everyone likes to listen to him and they feel safe and comforted. For a while everyone is feeling pretty good about being in camp #3.
But then the #4 people start showing their true colors. Think about what you would do. You're blind. You can't just leave and fend for yourself. Everyone else is blind too. The playing field is effectively equalized. Oh and there's one more piece to the puzzle. People can't look at you. And almost as important, you can't see anyone look at you. This is the real twist on this story. The idea here is that the only reason most people stay within societal norms, is that they can't get away with doing bad things. People will see you. People will look at you with judgment. People will witness your deeds and testify to your villainy. But what if this wasn't true. What if there were no repurcussions either civil or moral? Think of that, and then put a gun in your hand.
That's the position that Gael Garcia Bernal is in. He's a lowlife. A common hood. But here he has all the power. It doesn't matter that he can't see either. He fires the gun once and says "I'll just keep firing straight until somebody gets hit." He could've been easily overpowered in any other situation. But no one can see. There's no group dynamic where everyone looks at each other and decides that it's worth the risk. They don't know what will happen. And more so, if they're the one to get shot, they won't even see it coming.
So all of a sudden the bad guys have won. Gael and his crew are in charge. They ration food. They take people's valuables. And finally, as things escalate, they rape women.
And finally there is a revolution. Finally one person realizes they have the power to change things. And when things are at their worst, good people pull together to affect change. Unfortunately their unorganized and literally blind to the facts. They're led by someone enlightened (get it?) But she doesn't know what to do. Even though she can see what's going on and wants to stop it. People die.
So I didn't mean for this to get me started on politics (honestly). But as I'm writing this, I realize that we're in danger of putting the bad guys in charge right now. I'm afraid of that happening. I hope there are enough of us who can still see.
Anyway, let's wrap up. So the rest of the movie plays out as you would expect (with about 20 minutes of extra movie thrown in just so you don't leave feeling so dirty). Eventually we leave the quarantine camp and see what's happening in the outside world. I'll spare you the details. Not because I'm worried about spoiling more of it, but because it's not that good compared to the intensity of the camp.
In terms of filmmaking, this movie is strictly mediocre. But it's worth seeing because it's message is more relevant than people realize. You need to know what side you're on. You can blow it off as implausable. And maybe a mass epidemic of sudden onset blindness is exactly that. But the reality of societal collapse may not be so far fetched. Some might say we're staring at the start of one right now. But those people are just paranoid right? And besides, you can take care of yourself and your people, and that's all that matters right?
Go see the movie. It's worth $10 and an evening of your time. And if it doesn't strike a chord with you, you should probably really consider why that is.
This movie makes you ask yourself which side you're on.
This movie starts with the "sane" world that we all know and love. Everyone out for themselves. Going about their business and trying to avoid everyone else. We get the typical "my marriage hs some issues" moments from the Julianne Moore/Mark Ruffalo union. We meet a few key players. Then people start going blind, and everything goes to shit.
The "sides" I'm talking about in this movie are the usual ones.
- The uncaring government who hauls all the infected people off to quarantine and leaves them with inadequate food and supplies.
- The apathetic and oblivious society at large (who are still unstricken) who allow friends and neighbors to disappear and never ask questions. And inside the quarantine we have the blind choosing sides as well.
- Those who are trying to hold on to humanity and dignity.
- And those who stave off despair by grabbing onto what little control their is. Control over other people.
If you're being cynical like the critics of this movie, you're saying "I know what happens here. There's nothing to keep me engaged". Well you've thrown your hat in with #2, and frankly, you're the real problem here. But I'll come back to that. Maybe you know what happens, but how can you not be engaged watching this? People are left without enough food, they don't have clean water or working toilets. They live in squalor and constant fear of the quarantine guards outside. They don't hear from their loved ones. There are children who's parents can't see them. And on top of all that, they can't see. They couldn't even distract themselves from it all for a few minutes by reading this stupid blog post.
Then we go inside the camp. No one can see except Julianne (There are no names in this movie by the way). That means what you think it means. No one is judged by their looks. Everyone is judged by what they say. Mark Ruffalo is a doctor (An opthamologist. The eye doctor was the center of the spreading contagion. A nice detail and obvious when you think about it). At first everyone likes to listen to him and they feel safe and comforted. For a while everyone is feeling pretty good about being in camp #3.
But then the #4 people start showing their true colors. Think about what you would do. You're blind. You can't just leave and fend for yourself. Everyone else is blind too. The playing field is effectively equalized. Oh and there's one more piece to the puzzle. People can't look at you. And almost as important, you can't see anyone look at you. This is the real twist on this story. The idea here is that the only reason most people stay within societal norms, is that they can't get away with doing bad things. People will see you. People will look at you with judgment. People will witness your deeds and testify to your villainy. But what if this wasn't true. What if there were no repurcussions either civil or moral? Think of that, and then put a gun in your hand.
That's the position that Gael Garcia Bernal is in. He's a lowlife. A common hood. But here he has all the power. It doesn't matter that he can't see either. He fires the gun once and says "I'll just keep firing straight until somebody gets hit." He could've been easily overpowered in any other situation. But no one can see. There's no group dynamic where everyone looks at each other and decides that it's worth the risk. They don't know what will happen. And more so, if they're the one to get shot, they won't even see it coming.
So all of a sudden the bad guys have won. Gael and his crew are in charge. They ration food. They take people's valuables. And finally, as things escalate, they rape women.
And finally there is a revolution. Finally one person realizes they have the power to change things. And when things are at their worst, good people pull together to affect change. Unfortunately their unorganized and literally blind to the facts. They're led by someone enlightened (get it?) But she doesn't know what to do. Even though she can see what's going on and wants to stop it. People die.
So I didn't mean for this to get me started on politics (honestly). But as I'm writing this, I realize that we're in danger of putting the bad guys in charge right now. I'm afraid of that happening. I hope there are enough of us who can still see.
Anyway, let's wrap up. So the rest of the movie plays out as you would expect (with about 20 minutes of extra movie thrown in just so you don't leave feeling so dirty). Eventually we leave the quarantine camp and see what's happening in the outside world. I'll spare you the details. Not because I'm worried about spoiling more of it, but because it's not that good compared to the intensity of the camp.
In terms of filmmaking, this movie is strictly mediocre. But it's worth seeing because it's message is more relevant than people realize. You need to know what side you're on. You can blow it off as implausable. And maybe a mass epidemic of sudden onset blindness is exactly that. But the reality of societal collapse may not be so far fetched. Some might say we're staring at the start of one right now. But those people are just paranoid right? And besides, you can take care of yourself and your people, and that's all that matters right?
Go see the movie. It's worth $10 and an evening of your time. And if it doesn't strike a chord with you, you should probably really consider why that is.
