BLINDNESS
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Canada, Brazil, Japan/2008/English, Japanese dialogue with English, Arabic subtitles/Colour/35mm/121 mins Middle East Premiere
Synopsis A gala presentation at this year's Cannes, Fernando Mereilles' adaptation of Jose Saramago's arresting tale of a world paralysed by a blindness epidemic works on a number of levels - as a straightforward thriller, a powerful allegory of power and corruption and as a stark description of a society in freefall, motivated by base fear and survival. Julianne Moore plays the wife of a doctor (Mark Ruffalo), who somehow manages to evade the wave of blindness that suddenly cripples the world. As the government seeks to contain the spread of the sinister contagion, all afflicted individuals are bundled off to secure prisons. There, amongst the thousands of victims, chaos reigns. As the sole sighted prisoner, the doctor's wife witnesses the horrific effects of mass panic and social breakdown. Shot in stark, painful high-contrast tones, Mereilles' adaptation blends action and suspense with a very modern and universal horror. | ||
