Movie Review – Sightless – A movie that interestingly incorporates blindness into the visuals

One Saturday morning, I scrolled through Netflix and made a quick list of three movies I wanted to watch that day. I had nothing else to do, so I thought I could watch some films, review them, and get some posts scheduled.

I proceeded to do other things all day. I updated some blog posts and scheduled some tweets in the morning, and then went to de-cobweb a church, which took all afternoon. I watched this film the following evening.

Let me introduce the film, and then we can get into my review!

After a vicious attack leaves a young woman blind, she must fight back to escape her new reality in which people are not who they seem to be.

This film is on Netflix, or you can rent/buy it on Amazon Prime.

My Review!

Ellen Ashland used to be an incredibly famous musician, a violinist, but she has since stepped away from the limelight. She had an ex-husband in jail, and a past she would rather leave behind. But, when she is attacked with a substance that leaves her blind, she finds that her past does not matter, because it seems her future has been destroyed. 

Ellen’s brother sets her up with a caretaker, the best there is, Clayton. Clayton, in turn, sets Ellen up in a new apartment, somewhere quiet, where she can adjust to her new life. Clayton is there for Ellen every step of the way, looking after her as she tries to figure out life in a world where she sees nothing. The attack has a lasting effect on her, she cannot sleep without reliving it, but that quickly loses priority on her list of important things to worry about. 

With the loss of her vision, Ellen’s hearing improves, to the point she can hear the arguments of the couple living next door, causing a steadily increasing concern for Lana, the woman living there. She can hear a car alarm go off every other day. She can hear the traffic outside from one window, but silence from another. And yet, she is trapped in a world where she cannot simply look around to figure things out. 

There are certain aspects of this movie that were created absolutely perfectly. Ellen obviously cannot see, but the viewer is still watching a film. There are details that shift as Ellen learns about her environment, that appear how she assumes them to be until proven otherwise. There is a bird at one point, which she imagines as green, but when she is told it is actually blue, it shifts colour to match reality. The same happens when she believes one person to be standing in front of her, but it turns out to be another. Ellen’s entire reality is built on her imagination and minimal details, which itself is terrifying. When you add in the neighbours, the husband who scares her and the woman who may be in danger, and the fact no one will believe her over anything she believes to be real - the shifting reality of this film attempts to give you the same experience as Ellen. You are never entirely sure who or what to trust, because everything may change at a moments notice.

In this way, it is a very successful psychological thriller. Ellen’s complete dependency on Clayton, as the police attempt to find out who attacked her and as she tries to grow accustomed to this new reality, completely isolates her. The entire film is set inside an apartment and the hallway outside of it. She feels she has lost her freedom, and it comes across incredibly well.

The only thing I have ever seen Madelaine Petsch in is Riverdale, which I gave up on watching because it grew quite ridiculous. That is nothing to go by, though, because her acting in this film is incredible. I will be looking out for her in more films in the future. 

All round, this was an amazing film, that not only will I be watching again, I will be watching again multiple times. Looking back on it, there are subtle hints throughout the entire movie as to the outcome, things you will not notice unless you are looking for them. And I absolutely love when a film has things like that, that mean the next time you watch it, it’s like watching something completely different, where you understand certain actions and the meaning behind certain sentences. I could talk about this film for a long while, but I will stop here. I don’t want to give anything away by accident, all that remains to say is ‘go and watch this movie!’

And done!

This film really was great, I loved watching it. I did have to keep pausing it nearer the end, because my dog couldn't decide if he wanted to lie down and sleep, or if he needed to go outside, so he was up and down. Every time I had to pause it, I was desperate to sit back down and watch it again, which proves how much I liked it.

That's all for now...

Bye!