Seeing is believing
This evening we watched the DVD version of Blindness, based on a novel by Nobel prize winner José Saramago. A tough way to spend a couple of hours, because the movie shows a very dark and vicious world. Excuse what may sound like a pun; humans are not always noble (sorry).
Try to imagine a pandemic where people suddenly lose their sight. I can identify with the premise, on my left side. From there, to extend the scenario to a closed world where people become greedy and cruel, not so much. In fact, the movie has received some powerful criticism for that reason. I’d read Lord Of The Flies before I could ever drive a car or buy a beer, but my sons haven’t had the chance to read through that owner’s manual for a dystopian existence. This movie gives a glimpse (sorry) into how quickly a group can devolve. Man isn’t any better than the wild dogs that are shown near the end of the last reel.
The forced quarantine of the first group to go blind rings in a world where we don’t know what large scale disease or disorder might do to our daily lives. While the numbers infected with the disease of the day grow, we haven’t had any direct contact here. How quickly would our government manage to screw things up completely?
Although I enjoyed the movie, it won’t be one to add to our home library. Some things are meant to be seen only once. I might seek out the original novel, though. In passing, a similar theme exists in Day Of The Triffids, (which I’d forgotten). Another book to re-read.
