Plot Summary
The film begins with a young professional suddenly going blind in his car while at an intersection, with his field of vision turning white. A seemingly kind passerby offers to drive him home. However, he then steals the blind man’s car. When the blind man’s wife returns home, she takes him to an ophthalmologist who can identify nothing wrong and refers him for further evaluation. The next day, the doctor goes blind, and recognizes that the blindness must be caused by a communicable disease. Around the city, more citizens are struck blind, causing widespread panic, and the government organizes a quarantine for the blind in a derelict asylum.
When a hazmat crew arrives to pick up the doctor, his wife lies that she has also gone blind in order to accompany him. In the asylum, the doctor and his wife are first to arrive and agree they will keep her sight a secret. They are joined by several others, including the driver, the thief, and other patients of the doctor. At this point, the “white sickness” has become international, with hundreds of cases reported every day. The government is resorting to increasingly ruthless measures to try to deal with the epidemic, including refusing aid to the blind. As more blinded people are crammed into what has become a concentration camp, overcrowding and lack of outside support cause hygiene and living conditions to quickly degrade.
The doctor serves as the representative of his ward, and his sighted wife does what she can to assist her fellow inmates without revealing her ability. Anxiety over the availability of food undermines morale and introduces conflict between the prison’s wards, as the soldiers who guard the camp become increasingly hostile. A man with a handgun appoints himself “king” of his ward, and takes control of the food deliveries, first demanding the other wards’ valuables.
Meet the Cast
Info & Stats
Director:
Fernando Meirelles
Writers:
José Saramago, Don McKellar
Stars:
Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael GarcĂa Bernal
Categories:
Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Budget:
$25,000,000.00
Revenue:
$19,844,979.00
Age: RÂ Â |Â Â Duration: 2h 1m
Watch the Trailer