Remarkably beautiful to watch and listen to, Blind is a fable come vividly to life. It also exerts a formidable pull on the heartstrings throughout all its plot twists.
Ruben is a young man who, along with his mother and assorted household staff, inhabits a large estate in the country sometime in the late nineteenth century. Ruben cannot see, and he is also rapaciously bloody-minded, ruling the household through fierce tantrums and intimidation. This frustrating state of affairs comes to a head upon the arrival of Marie, a pale-as-snow, slightly odd-looking older woman who is just as strong-willed as Ruben. She refuses to become embroiled in his power struggles, as she has been hired to read to him and she loves books more than anything else. It is the perfect job for Marie. Emotionally scarred by a childhood trauma, she believes herself to be grotesque, so a blind employer relieves her of self-consciousness. Ruben doesn't love anyone or anything until Marie's quiet insight into his soul provokes an affection for her stronger than anything he has ever felt before. In the bleak winter months, the two misunderstood outsiders find each other. Into their unlikely
idyll swoops a doctor who insists that Ruben's eyesight can be restored through a new surgical procedure. Ruben
wants the operation to be able to finally see his true iove and the world around her, but Marie panics, convinced that
Ruben will discover she is ugly and her only love will be destroyed.
Ruben is a young man who, along with his mother and assorted household staff, inhabits a large estate in the country sometime in the late nineteenth century. Ruben cannot see, and he is also rapaciously bloody-minded, ruling the household through fierce tantrums and intimidation. This frustrating state of affairs comes to a head upon the arrival of Marie, a pale-as-snow, slightly odd-looking older woman who is just as strong-willed as Ruben. She refuses to become embroiled in his power struggles, as she has been hired to read to him and she loves books more than anything else. It is the perfect job for Marie. Emotionally scarred by a childhood trauma, she believes herself to be grotesque, so a blind employer relieves her of self-consciousness. Ruben doesn't love anyone or anything until Marie's quiet insight into his soul provokes an affection for her stronger than anything he has ever felt before. In the bleak winter months, the two misunderstood outsiders find each other. Into their unlikely
idyll swoops a doctor who insists that Ruben's eyesight can be restored through a new surgical procedure. Ruben
wants the operation to be able to finally see his true iove and the world around her, but Marie panics, convinced that
Ruben will discover she is ugly and her only love will be destroyed.
Director: Tamar van den Dop
Script: Tamar van den Dop
Cinematography: Gregor Meerman
Music: Tom Holkenborg
Cast: Joren Saldeslachts, Halina Reijn, Katelijne Verbeke, Jan Decleir
Coroduction: Netherlands/Belgium/Bulgaria - Phanta Vision Film - Petra Goedings (Netherlands), MMG - Hilde De Laere (Belgium), Klas Film - Rossitsa Valkanova (Bulgaria)
With the support of: NPS, VRT, Bulgarian National Film Center, Bulgarian National Television
Duration: 103 min
Script: Tamar van den Dop
Cinematography: Gregor Meerman
Music: Tom Holkenborg
Cast: Joren Saldeslachts, Halina Reijn, Katelijne Verbeke, Jan Decleir
Coroduction: Netherlands/Belgium/Bulgaria - Phanta Vision Film - Petra Goedings (Netherlands), MMG - Hilde De Laere (Belgium), Klas Film - Rossitsa Valkanova (Bulgaria)
With the support of: NPS, VRT, Bulgarian National Film Center, Bulgarian National Television
Duration: 103 min