Blindness, directed by City of God's Fernando Meirelles, is a frightening, eye-opening film. In an unnamed, English-speaking city, an epidemic of blindness breaks out and the government begins to quarantine those infected. One woman (Julianne Moore) is still able to see, and helps her husband (Mark Ruffalo) govern Ward 1 of the quarantine facility with fairness and equality. A gangster (Gael García Bernal) uses his gun and threats of violence to take over Ward 3 and eventually the entire facility. He controls the food rations and requires other wards to pay him in jewelry; once that runs out, women. And from this basic, unsettling premise, we see the terrifying lengths men and women will go to when pitted against each other in a place without rules. What hope does good have at winning, or even surviving, against evil? Much like I Stand Alone, the movie is a bleak reminder of humanity at its most hopeless.
Technically, much of the movie was excellent. I loved the cinematography and its special effects, which simultaneously gave the film a gritty, raw realism and an evocative feel and mood. The music was memorable and brilliant, but felt out of place at times (it seemed a bit too playful). The editing was usually on-point but could sometimes be slow or poorly-timed. The characters were a bit bland, but the acting was more than adequate and altogether impressive. While movies like this are effective at what they set out to do, they are unpleasant and difficult to watch. Still, I felt moved by it and recommend it to those interested.IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/