Russo Rating: 6/10

While far from being the caliber of his Academy Award-winning picture, City of God, Fernando Meirelles’ latest cinematic effort, Blindness, is a fascinating look at just how much the human spirit can endure before reaching a breaking point. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Blindness certainly has its faults, most notably its disjointed third act, but the powerful performances and incredible visuals make it a stunning existential piece.

Mark Ruffalo stars as an ophthalmologist, who is brought a curious case, a man who can only see milky white. Quickly, what appears to be a freak occurrence turns out to be a pandemic case of blindness that spreads through basic contact. While the disease is spreading quickly, the doctor’s wife (Julianne Moore) pretends to be infected and accompanies her now blind husband to a quarantined area, where the number of infected continues to rise, and conditions continue to worsen.

Blindness dares to ask a terrifying question, what happens to society when we take away one of the senses we depend on the most. The answers that the picture provides are horrifying. The conditions that those infected by the “white blindness” are forced to live in, and those greedy enough to take advantage of the group’s situation, are unsettling. These thematic notions are juxtaposed with stunning cinematography, making use of the infected’s point of view in creative and unique ways. Anyone looking to step his or her visual storytelling up to the next level should have a look at Blindness.

However, it would take a blind (and deaf) audience member to fail to recognize the failed third act in Blindness. Things get messy, disjointed and abrupt as the film attempts to come to a close. The DVD has a few moderate special features, not unusual for a Miramax release of a relatively unsuccessful theatrical release. What is strange though, is the lack of a BluRay release for such a visually astounding picture. Give it a rent, but if you’re considering a purchase, wait for the inevitable high-def release.