Review: 'Blindness'

Set in a city where people are suddenly stricken with sightlessness, allegory never rises to level of believability.

from the October 3, 2008 edition

Based on the great 1995 novel by Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, "Blindness," directed by Fernando Meirelles, is one of the larger disappointments of the year. Set in a nameless English-speaking city where people are suddenly stricken with sightlessness, it's an allegory that never rises to the level of believability. After a powerful opening, when we see the first victim suddenly go blind while driving in traffic, the film devolves into a dystopian freak show and wastes many wonderful performers, including Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. Grade: D (Rated R for violence including sexual assaults, language, and sexuality/nudity.)