People may have lost their eyesight but their human natures are very much intact. Fernando Meirelles’ new film presents a world identical to our own. Everyone is going through his or her usual routines until a man blocks traffic with his vehicle. Pedestrians off road can see this male of Japanese descent (Yusuke Iseya) seems to be having a problem. When they go to help the man he tells them that he is unable to see. What his helpful citizens don’t realize is that he I just the first of many that will see the world in a way they never expected.

“Blindness” is one part science fiction and two parts drama. I thought the strange phenomena rendering people sightless would be the worse thing to happen in this movie. Nope. That’s just for starters. The real horrors begin when enough cases pop up to warrant a government-mandated quarantine. Among the infected are the Japanese man, an optometrist and his wife (Mark Ruffalo & Julianne Moore), a call girl (Alice Braga), and an older gentleman (Danny Glover). They are among the first to inhabit the cold and isolated institution where the infected will be kept. It’s made clear pretty quickly that they are being held there for the general populace’s protection only. No doctors are on hand doing tests. No nurses to treat minor bumps and bruises. No counselors to calm the nerves of the scared and frustrated. The “inmates” only link to the outside world is an emergency phone line that has a tendency to divert calls straight to voicemail. Soldiers patrol the perimeter but they’re only purpose is to keep the blind people inside. They ignore any pleads for help and they shoot anyone who gets too close to the outer fence.

And that’s just for starters. Wait until more people start pouring in. The infection is in full swing and the camp is filled to an ample enough capacity where separate camps stake their claim to various areas of the facility. One inmate played by Gael Garcia Bernal dubs himself “King of Ward Three” and takes his group to the top of the food chain. The other Wards have little choice but to adhere to the King’s rules or else they’ll starve. Oh right, I forgot to mention that The King and his goons somehow got their hold on all the rations. They who control the food control the power.

However, what the other wards don’t know is that Ward One has an advantage of their own. The optometrist’s wife (Moore) still has her eyesight. Though she was not infected she still joined her husband and rode with him to the quarantine complex. Her unhindered sight is a blessing when it comes to setting up the place but the curse is that she must bear witness to all the filth, disrespect and abuse that takes place in that institution.

The trailer intrigued me but I thought I had the story all figured out before seeing the feature. There was enough in the coming attraction to show that the infected would be locked up in some dingy hospital somewhere and things were going to go all “Lord of the Flies” once you got the bad apples in the joint. Now, after I’m back in my comfortable abode I’m still chilled by the things I saw in this astonishing look at human nature.

Well, one thing that kicked me good was the government’s response to the epidemic. The infected are sent away and are isolated from the masses. Okay. That, I can understand. But when we first see the place it is deserted save for the armed security detail. Where’s the food? Where’s the linen? Where is the medical staff? It appeared that the higher ups just wanted to sweep these people under the rug.

Through the optometrist’s wife’s eyes we bear witness to people being brought to their lowest levels of existence. How low? Imagine not being able to find the bathroom so you just go where you’re sitting. Soon your clothes start to reek of urine so you discard them and just roam around naked. Who cares, right? No one can see you anyway. Now multiply that by twenty and later thirty and then add like fifty more by mid-week. Can you imagine walking around a floor covered in the refuse created by yourself and few dozen of your closest inmates? Mrs. Optometrist sure can. And I wish I could say that was the worst thing to happen in this movie but I can say with full conviction that “Blindness” has one of the most horrific scenes I have seen this year. I had an hunch that it might happen but when it actually does happen……whoa.

That’s the gist of the story. Some of the human race suddenly go blind and are whisked away to be locked up in a grungy old hospital to fend for themselves. What will they have to do to survive? Is the outside world going to do anything about this dilemma besides sending the infected to a faraway place?

Now for the performances. Julianne Moore always kicks butt. She just brings 110% to any movie I have ever seen her in. I dunno how she does it. Is it the red hair? Is it that she refuses to cover up her freckles with makeup? Is it her willingness to do nude scenes? Maybe its all of those things plus the fact that she just lights up the screen with her presence. Because her character is the only one in the quarantine building that can see she goes through it all and sees it all, too. She’s a wife and a maid and a nurse and a guide to all the people in Ward One. Where does she get this strength? I imagine its from the same place the Ward Three King and his cronies get their ruthlessness. Ms. Moore is not the whole movie but she plays a very integral part to the ensemble cast.

I felt so much sympathy for the optometrist played by Mark Ruffalo. Imagine the tragic irony of an eye doctor succumbing to the same blindness disease like the others. He is the first to attempt to lead the people in the facility. As the situation deteriorates so too does the optometrist’s confidence in his leadership and his hope that things will get better. In a heated exchange with his wife the depressed doctor admits that he feels ashamed that his wife has to dress, clean, and feed him.

While Ruffalo’s doctor descends into self pity Gael Garcia Bernal’s “Third Ward King” wallows in arrogance. The man gains the upper hand by obtaining possession of the rations and keeps it guarded with the help of his shiny pistol. The King and his men represent the other extreme in this situation. Instead of trying to make friends or fall into despair these opportunists bully the weak into following their despicable rules. With no cops and the outside guards staying outside The King and his court do as they please. I guess a closer look at Bernal’s character might reveal a man who has never had a taste of authority. Outside he is just a lowly commoner but in the facility he is a leader. The King is just another potential power absolutely corrupted.

The Japanese man (Yusuke Iseya) appears at the clinic and eventually so does his wife (Yoshino Kimura). She is obviously very displeased about being blind and locked up. She shrugs off any comfort her husband attempts to give her. Perhaps she blames him for her condition? Hhhmmm, perhaps. Or she’s just so depressed that nothing her husband can do will ease her troubled heart save a cure and cab ride back to their apartment The call girl (Alice Braga) has a heart of gold and becomes the big sister to a little infected boy (Mitchell Nye). Danny Glover’s character tries to help by comforting the ones trying to help and whipping out a handy radio to inform the detainees about what’s happening beyond the walls.

If I had one gripe it is that Sandra Oh doesn’t get a lot of action here as the Minister of Health. It’s no secret she goes blind but I would’ve loved to see how someone in a high position like that would be treated. Would she have been taken to a deserted hospital or sequestered to a suite in the Hilton?

If my rambling isn’t indication enough then let me simply say that “Blindness” was outstanding. One heck of an emotional roller coaster that will left me touched in the heart and the head. Amongst the commentaries on the human condition lie the experiences of the individuals. The infected cope with their affliction in different ways and witnessing their ordeals definitely left an impression on me as I left the theater. I highly recommend it.

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