When assailants fling paint thinner into Hugues de Montalemberts eyes during a brutal home invasion the French artists world is suddenly plunged into darkness. In this haunting first-person documentary de Montalembert narrates his long journey back from that abyss: the painful months of rehab the strange erotic visions his attempts to reassert his independence and eventually attain a different kind of vision reclaiming his identity as an artist.
I watched this film because I work with blind people and wanted to hear what the articulate de Montalemberts had to say about his experiences of sight loss. His narration is, I think, enlightening and inspiring. Frequently moving and for the movie's 70 minutes running time gripping. Having lost his sight during a violent assault with paint stripper - a base, not an acide, that cannot therefore be washed out with water - de Montalemberts went almost completely blind. He then pushed himself through rehabilitation and mobility training faster and harder than recommended. And a short while after finishing rehab, having started to leave the hospital/centre alone and without notifying anyone well before he was advised to, he took off for Indonesia. Alone. And without telling anyone. He describes going to Indonesia as an incredibly visual place and describes the visons he created instead of his sight. He talks about the nature of vision and seeing; says that most people just see to avoid bumping in to things; and that walking down the street with an incredibly astute painter friend of his is an incredibly vivid experience, brought alive by both their visions. I found his story about New Delhi airport (he has visited India alone too) particulalry moving, but don't want to divulge too much. Whilst the words of de Montalemberts come alive the film's own material visuals do not necessarily relate directly to what he narrates. (Although the golden lights accompanying his description of his sight's deterioration into golden light is a particularly beautiful moment.) However, though a little detached from the narrative, they never seem inappropriate and often demonstrate their own beauty. At other times they emphasise the things de Montalemberts describes, such as the welcome he receives in Bali, or him writing 12 pages without realising that the pen's ink had run out (the next day a maid in the house he was staying tells him). To end, all i can do is repeat that this is an inspiring and beautiful film, and a must see (for my friends at the very least). You can enjoy it and the very diverse emotions it evokes, and learn a lot at the same time. Perfect.
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Expressionist documentary telling the story of Hughes de Montalembert, a French artist and filmmaker living in New York who was blinded during a violent assault in 1978. Filmmaker Gary Tarn visualises a world from the perspective of the blind man by coupling Montalembert's narrative with vivid colourful images and music. Part survivor's testimony, part philosophical meditation on the nature of perception, the film is ultimately a unique celebration of life itself.
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