Blindness
Miramax Films | Release Date: October 3, 2008
5.9
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 133 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
68
Mixed:
29
Negative:
36
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
carlitodSep 3, 2009
This movie rocks! A must see. Beautifully shot and executed. a flawless piece of what will one day become cult cinema.
2 of 3 users found this helpful
9
RegOzApr 6, 2012
This is a great movie. I believe people would be less critical if they have read writer Jose Saramago's (Nobel laurate- 1998) masterpiece "Blidness" (as it is called in English). the movie is based on it, and succeeds in capturing Saramago'sThis is a great movie. I believe people would be less critical if they have read writer Jose Saramago's (Nobel laurate- 1998) masterpiece "Blidness" (as it is called in English). the movie is based on it, and succeeds in capturing Saramago's novel. It is unfortunate to see people can't grasp the allegorical nature of this film. Great performances, excellent storyline, magnificent adaptation of the book. A movie that is so underrated that is sad to see that. I think people should read more good literatute (not mere bestsellers)...because if they did, the would have a more open mind too...richer perspectives or life. As for those who are calling 'idiots' to those who appreciate this film, (i.e Edwardsomething) I find absolytelty idiotic their attitude...that shows how narrow their minds are if they believe those who do not see what they do are stupid. Considering that, and after reading his (Edward's) comment, I actually am relieves to be called 'idiot' by him, for if it was the opposite, I would perhaps be worried...seriously worried!… Expand
3 of 5 users found this helpful32
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10
HenriqueT.Oct 6, 2008
Masterpiece. Meirelles does great job putting on screen the Saramago classic. It's a hard movie to watch? Yes, that's the point of the movie. Saramago's (Nobel winning) metaphor points out that if we weren't so "blind" Masterpiece. Meirelles does great job putting on screen the Saramago classic. It's a hard movie to watch? Yes, that's the point of the movie. Saramago's (Nobel winning) metaphor points out that if we weren't so "blind" that's how we actually would see the world. Not to mention the innovating/unique filming and top notch acting.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful
10
MarcoC.Oct 3, 2008
Excellent adaptation of Saramago's book. Moore's work is Oscar winner for sure. The movie shows us what life is really about.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
PauloD.Sep 30, 2008
Masterpiece! Fantastic! Saramago's world is in each second of the movie!
0 of 1 users found this helpful
10
JoaoGriSep 10, 2010
Blindness is a masterpiece from its very core. The book that originated it is outstanding, as the majority of José Saramgo's work is.

That being said, let me justify myself: somethings are undeniable when watching the movie,Blindness is a masterpiece from its very core. The book that originated it is outstanding, as the majority of José Saramgo's work is.

That being said, let me justify myself: somethings are undeniable when watching the movie, first thing is the language (don't really know if this is the right term) chosen. Meirelle's camera behave as a blind man, choosing spots that never reveal all the scene, as if not giving importance to how we see the scene. This choice gives a very dark (or gloomy someone said) mood to the film. This mood is of the most importance. We have to think that we are talking about something like a social blindness, about our incapability to think and to reason some questions that can change everything.

Another important point is the choice to work only the video and audio aspects of the story, that may sound strange but if you've read the book you'll surely remember that the book uses scents and dirtiness as tools to create the sensation of loathing and since cinema can't work with scent, yet, he chose not to use it.

The video and audio work in the movie is amazing there are times when we, the watchers, experience total blindness in the movie and the movie trust completely in the sound work to guide as through the scene it is a crazy experience.

Ok. I think I've gone a little bit to far here. Enough. I hope that I can convince some people to re-watch the movie with a more critic eye. It saddens me to see such a great movie rated 45 and 56 on Metacritic.

Enjoy.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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9
JoBeGo2021Jun 30, 2021
A must-read for the COVID era. Again I saw the movie & then read the book. 10 years ago the movie was intriguing as this country was coming off its first wave of blindness (a.k.a. the 'aughts) but things were on the mend even as the economyA must-read for the COVID era. Again I saw the movie & then read the book. 10 years ago the movie was intriguing as this country was coming off its first wave of blindness (a.k.a. the 'aughts) but things were on the mend even as the economy was tanking. The book worked as an analogy of the early/mid-2000s on one level. A rueful look back, perhaps? No. Ten years later it is unfortunately much more relevant as a second wave of blindness (Political, social) had this country on the brink in a different way. Against the backdrop of the COVID epidemic the book & to a lesser extent the movie keeps getting more & more relevant by the minute. The story should be mandatory reading as "1984" was 70 years ago.

A summary of the plot; The plague initiates at an intersection when a driver is struck blind & is forced aside by angry fellow drivers. The cycle of abuser & abused starts early when the driver has his car stolen by a "good Samaritan" who in turn goes blind himself.

The blind driver is examined by a doctor who in turn goes blind himself. Meanwhile, the plague initializes in earnest. Hundreds of blind people are quarantined. As are the doctor & his wife. However, his wife only feigned blindness so as to accompany him for his protection. As the quarantined population increases, society unravels first inside the hospital & then with society at large; police & security dissipate while inside the hospital an armed man forms a posse that doles out food for sexual favors.

I will not reveal the middle or the ending except to say that a portion of the afflicted population learns to hang together.....

I will say that Mr. Saramago's method of inserting you in the story involves not giving formal names to any of the story's characters. They are referred to as "the Driver", "the Doctor", "the Armed man". This lends the effect of detachment & by extension a kind of blindness is experienced by the reader.

Minor gripes with the movie; When the initial victim regains his sight it drew an unwanted laugh from me given it's resemblance to a Folger's coffee commercial. ALSO the Doctor's wife was overplayed up as an "Angel of Mercy", with the exception of when she kills the "Armed Man". The book revealed darker thoughts inside her head. Overall Director Fernando Meirelles & scriptwriter Don McKellar did a bang-up job streamlining the book, but the man I wanted to see do this would have been Roman Polanski. Yes the guy's a bit of a creep but his films 90% of the time showed a marked empathy for the women who populated his films. It would have fit his credo beautifully (except as the perv who drugged a 13-year-old girl, unfortunately)… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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10
JosefS.Oct 1, 2008
Fantastic! I have no words to express how strong this movie is. Meirelles is wonderful!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
BillyS.Oct 4, 2008
Blindness is so much more than "ooh, everybody in the world goes blind." It is a very smart, very intriguing story that at times is almost the cinematic opposite of Malick's The New World - dark, painful but a wonder to watch. Meirelles Blindness is so much more than "ooh, everybody in the world goes blind." It is a very smart, very intriguing story that at times is almost the cinematic opposite of Malick's The New World - dark, painful but a wonder to watch. Meirelles has stepped up a notch after the briliant The Constant Gardner and Julianne Moore is finally back in a leading role worthy of an Oscar nomination. She is, as always, perfect as the only sighted person left who suffers more by what she can see then by what others can't. Cesar Charlone's cinematography lures the viewer into a world of "white blindness" from total blackness to looking at the sun brightness that is totally hypnotic and deserving of year-end recognition. Blindness is not a movie-for-the-masses, and in my book, one of the Best Movies I've seen this year!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
YuriC.Oct 1, 2008
I love how he (the director) tells the history. Amazing.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
DavidB.Oct 3, 2008
Great movie. Very psicologicaland thought provoking. If the book is better, like usually they are, I gonna enjoy very much that reading. Not a movie for the "Pollyannas", mind you.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
EnriqueOct 3, 2008
A masterpiece. Not for every body.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
ElvisD.Oct 3, 2008
The director Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) makes an intriguing work about the blindness of the human soul.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
DudleiO.Oct 17, 2009
Wonderful! I have both read the novel and watched the movie, and it's hard to say which one is better. You can feel the desperation the characters go through. In some scenes I felt breathless, such was the intensity of (both physical Wonderful! I have both read the novel and watched the movie, and it's hard to say which one is better. You can feel the desperation the characters go through. In some scenes I felt breathless, such was the intensity of (both physical and moral) violence. And, as I left the movie theater, I honestly believed, for a few seconds, that everyone around me had gone blind. Such a powerful movie!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
PloK.Dec 14, 2009
Another brilliant film from McKellar. Touching, brutal, horrifying, and deeper than many people want their movies to be... but if you liked "Last Night", you'll appreciate this film. It's hard to say you'll *like* this film, Another brilliant film from McKellar. Touching, brutal, horrifying, and deeper than many people want their movies to be... but if you liked "Last Night", you'll appreciate this film. It's hard to say you'll *like* this film, because it is in some ways a very traumatic film. I had to pause the film for a few minutes and ask myself if I could handle what was happening on the screen. I tentatively decided to go on, and was rewarded with one of the best films I've ever seen. This isn't a feel-good film... but if you understand why it is that the darker stuff should be explored as well, the unflinching and brutal honesty in this film will hit a nerve. Many of them.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
BenM.Mar 15, 2010
Lord Of The Flies'esque film which touches on basic human instincts of survival when things don't go quite to plan. Can't help but be moved by this film. Some questions remain unanswered, but does everything always need Lord Of The Flies'esque film which touches on basic human instincts of survival when things don't go quite to plan. Can't help but be moved by this film. Some questions remain unanswered, but does everything always need explaining? certainly not.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
HollyR.Oct 29, 2008
This movie was a good study of human behavior when people become vulnerable and helpless. It is a study of human character under a crisis. If you are interested in psychology and/or human nature, you will quite like this movie. I liked the This movie was a good study of human behavior when people become vulnerable and helpless. It is a study of human character under a crisis. If you are interested in psychology and/or human nature, you will quite like this movie. I liked the way it was filmed (stark) and felt it was a powerful movie. (I have a degree in psychology and love Sci-Fi.) Julianne Moore did a great job!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MichaelS.Oct 6, 2008
Fernando Meirelles' ambitious film "BLINDNESS" aims for Oscar contention, but is more realistically going to end up a cult classic in the near future. Many will hate it, some will love it. I'd say it's an 8/10.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
ChadS.Oct 9, 2008
This happening is steeped in literary origins; one by one, big city denizens are embroiled in an epidemic of mass blindness, a condition that's symptomatic of an all-encompassing commonality: The world is going blind. "Blindness", the This happening is steeped in literary origins; one by one, big city denizens are embroiled in an epidemic of mass blindness, a condition that's symptomatic of an all-encompassing commonality: The world is going blind. "Blindness", the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Jose Saramengo, in spite of its heightened language and scope, like Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", is unmistakably a work of speculative fiction, which becomes more readily apparent with this servicable adaptation that probably does a disservice to the celebrated Portugese writer, since the film invites easy comparisons to M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" and Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later". "Blindness" plays out like an art house B-picture. In place of blind people, insert zombies; while the zombies are blind to their own humanity, some of the quarantined people at the staging area are blind to inhumanity, as the King of Ward Three(Gael Garcia Bernal) and his minions, pillage the food and rape the women. Thankfully, the filmmaker is mindful of Sarmengo's literary pedigree; he resists the temptation to put his own stamp on the material, unlike an egotist such as Shyamalan, who given the opportunity to adapt "Blindness", might have provided his own adducement behind this inexplicable outbreak of spontaneous unseeing, and transform the Saramengo novel into a tree happening. This laborious, but passionate piece of filmmaking, coaxes science fiction out from the narrative's closet, much to the chagrin of the Nobel Prize committee. It's the Richard Matheson short story reimagined as "I Am Blind".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JustinMApr 19, 2009
A very engaging movie that examines the ability of mankind to cope with disaster. Tough to watch at times but necessary to appreciate the end.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
Stephanies.May 31, 2009
Michelle S, seriously? you obviously missed the point of the novel. if you even read the novel. the movie stayed true to the spirit of the book and i think anybody could appreciate that.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
AdamLApr 29, 2009
I think this movie was solid all the way through. It didnt stray from looking at the lowest parts of humanity that appear in a crises. This is not a feel-good movie, as perhaps the red number people may have hoped. But I think it was well I think this movie was solid all the way through. It didnt stray from looking at the lowest parts of humanity that appear in a crises. This is not a feel-good movie, as perhaps the red number people may have hoped. But I think it was well done. Its an art film . There are plenty of squeamish scenes and if you dont want to leave your comfort zone , don't watch this movie. Because it will make you think and perhaps yell at the screen !… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SoGayGamesMay 23, 2012
Blindness is an epic, edge-of-your-seat film that's as much a masterpiece as it is underrated. Even after multiple viewings, the film offers something new and truly riveting each time, as there is enough material both in the storyline andBlindness is an epic, edge-of-your-seat film that's as much a masterpiece as it is underrated. Even after multiple viewings, the film offers something new and truly riveting each time, as there is enough material both in the storyline and subtext to reward such repeated sittings. Is it a drama? Science-fiction? Even horror? Yes, all of that and more.... With the exception maybe of comedy. Blindness is not a very funny film, it is even almost unwatchably bleak at times, and there are some moments I don't like to watch or want to see ever again. Still, there's not a bad performance in the film and Julianne Moore will bring your ass to tears, she's so **** good. If the Oscars meant anything anymore, Blindness would have been among the year's best, but Gwyneth Paltrow actually has a Best Actress award somewhere in her possession so there you go. I'm guessing that history will be kind to this film as more people get the benefit of seeing it, the overall experience is very rewarding and the ending makes the pain worthwhile.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
akikonomoriSep 11, 2017
Saramago write the Book, and Blindness Movie transpose the story very well. One of my favorites. Worth of watch. I supose nobody think about it, but what it will be if it happens, actually?
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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