Charlie Cox Says Ben Affleck Was a ‘Fantastic’ Daredevil – https://t.co/4OLZbUjGYP pic.twitter.com/LyMNjr6KqZ
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) May 27, 2018
As cinema has developed over the past century, we have been shown stories of lives that we otherwise would have no idea about. Latest Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite (2019) showed us what it’s like to be in the underclass in South Korea, while previous successful films have depicted what it’s like to live in the slums of India in Slumdog Millionaire (2009), or to be mute as per The Shape of Water (2017). But how are we understanding blindness as depicted in films, and how accurate are these representations of how blind people actually live?
Ray Charles biopic Ray (2004) starring Jamie Foxx showcased the life of the music legend. While elements of the film were fictionalised, the film dealt well with the star’s onset of blindness after glaucoma aged seven. The film was praised for showing both the moments of joy in the lives of blind people, as well as the trials and tribulations that we might not even realise they face in day to day life. Being a recognisable figure gave context for the blindness depicted in the film.
At First Sight (1999), starring Val Kilmer in the lead role, showed the suffering that blind people have to face on a daily basis, while also weaving in elements of the true story of Shirl Jennings, who recovered her sight after being blind. In the film, Kilmer’s character Virgil regains his sight and has to adapt to a new world. The film focused on Virgil’s blindness as being the only thing people saw in him and were all desperate to cure, rather than appreciating him as he was, a feeling many disabled and blind people have to contend with every day.
We got a brand new look at ‘DON’T BREATHE’ featuring a terrified Jane Levy at: https://t.co/DA535Fm4lO pic.twitter.com/IF6Jtyf2qo
— MODERN HORRORS🔪 (@ModernHorrors) April 6, 2016
Depictions of blindness in cinema help those with sight to understand how blind people might feel but should also be cautionary tales. Anyone could become blind following an accident or illness and we should be mindful. Often blindness is used as something for the hero to overcome, or as a narrative device that ends up being helpful to the plot. Films such as Daredevil (2003), Scent of a Woman (1992), and The White Countess (2005) depict accidents leading to blindness, which shows viewers that blindness can befall anyone. Other times, blindness is used for shock – such as the film Don’t Breathe (2016).
This may encourage people to appreciate their sight and consider how blind people in their direct environment have to deal with things. As the charity set up by Tej Kohli shows, many cases of needless blindness could be eradicated with enough support. Depictions of blindness in film could direct people’s attention to this in the same way that Blackfish (2013) attempted to stop SeaWorld’s cruel treatment of orcas, and Food Inc (2008) showed the true extent of meat production from animals.
The power of cinema is apparent when it causes us to look beyond our own lives and what we know to understand how other people might live. Blindness might not be something that people consider in day to day life but will understand how difficult it can be for those who are afflicted after seeing it in a film. Films help us experience things we otherwise wouldn’t and hopefully give us a greater understanding of the many different facets that make up human life.
