Documentaries have always felt like an under appreciated genre within the medium of film. They can lead to creative projects that add insightful perspectives to a vast array of different things which narrative filmmaking can’t always reach. Whether it’s historical events, noteworthy individuals or an ongoing story, documentaries are a truly unique way to connect to people or things on incredibly personal levels. This is where Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher’s Blink comes into play.
When three of their four children are diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disorder that can cause blindness, Edith and Sébastien take their family on a trip around the world so their children can take in the wonders of the Earth before they lose their sight completely.
One of the key driving themes of Blink is the act of living in the moment and making the most of what you have. For a tragedy as heartbreaking as this, Stenson and Roher boldly choose to focus on the joy of life. This rare circumstance presents a lot of issues for the family and is something that will only get harder with time, but the love for one another and the beauty of their surroundings is what, in turn, brings them closer together.
However, the film never forgets to highlight the growing concerns and problems that arise due to the condition of these children. There is a significant portion of the film where the family are stuck in a cable car in Ecuador for around 12 hours, and it is during this scene that reality comes crashing back in for Edith, Sébastien and the audience. At this point, the children haven’t lost their sight yet but already find lowlight situations increasingly hard to navigate, which makes this moment just that more frightening and nerve-racking.
Throughout the course of the film, the family visit a variety of countries such as Cambodia, Nepal and Egypt. The locations are stunningly captured by cinematographer Jean-Sébastien Francoeur as he finds simple but effective ways to make the most of the natural beauty these environments have to offer. The film also has a perfect balance of gorgeous landscape shots intercut with more grounded, improvised moments of chaos amongst the children.
The film flies by with its short runtime. This is both a testament to how tight the edit is, but it can also feel like a hindrance for the film as a whole. Though it revels in spending time with this family and making this globetrotting trip out to be as grand as it is, the journey itself, by the end of the film, feels like it is over as soon as it has started. There could have been more of an attempt to flesh the trip out in some capacity or even in spending more time with the family before and after their travels. The film is still clear with what it is trying to do, but it could have greatly benefitted from doing just a little bit more.
There is a glowing optimism to Blink that is truly infectious with every passing moment. Though it definitely has room to go further with what it is trying to say, what it is able to do in its brisk 83-minute runtime is rather special.
Blink is in UK cinemas from November 22.
