Slovakia
Blind Loves
Review by Cameron Maitland.
The most astonishing thing about Slovakian filmmaker Juraj Lehotsky's Blind Loves may be the realization that its the director’s first feature. Lehotsky's masterful weaving of fact, fantasy, documentary and storytelling show the skill of a seasoned auteur.
Blind Loves features relationships between and of blind people - ranging from the monotonously comfortable marriage of Peter and Iveta to the joyous Internet crushes of teen Zuzana and everything in between. Each story simultaneously explores the romantic aspects of these relationships while revealing the trials and surprising joys that come from one or both partners being blind. Most compelling is the story of Miro, a blind Roma man, and his partially sighted partner Moni. Their story interweaves the politics of race and courtship while never flinching from their often awkward, youthful affection.
Like Werner Herzog, Lehotsky's 'documentary' isn’t meant to be purely non-fiction. It often slides into fantasy sequences and the film is so cinematically perfect that it leaves the viewer to occasionally question its 'authenticity'. That said, this quality allows much room for the poetry of romance to emerge both visually and through the speeches and fantasies of the characters.
It's quite impossible to not be drawn in by the unique subject matter or to not empathize with the emotions of the characters in this film. Lehotsky chose intriguing subjects and understands the aspects of their lives that most sighted people will be astonished by. While the flights of poetic fantasy - particularly that of Peter fighting an octopus - often get in the way of thematic or emotional coherence, even at its worst Blind Loves is a fascinating look at a little thought-of subject, and bold first step for a new filmmaker.
Blind Loves
Juraj Lehotsky | Slovakia | 2008 | 77min
Sun. Sept. 28 | 9:30pm | Ridge
Sat. Oct. 4 | 1:30pm | Empire Granville, Theatre 2