Review: I would have given the film a perfect five if not for its biggest potential detractor, which oddly also one of its strongest elements: it does sound absolutely, unavoidably depressing. The film’s subjects are raised at a significant disadvantage as they are seen almost as demons by their societies while they have done nothing wrong.  Hearing their individual stories will likely keep some viewers on the verge of tears throughout the early part of the film, but the sad sections of the film beautifully pair up with the uplifting sections of it.  Sure, it would be easy to only hear about the problems of the six young characters while reading the DVD description on the box, but this movie rightfully asks you to make an emotional connection with it and that means depressing moments and all.  The film does have down sides, like a sidebar section in which they take one of the six children to meet his birth parents, which seemed slightly out of place, but for the most part the movie is very well made. Any reservations about the amount of drama in the storyline aside, Blindsight is undeniably very well put together.  The pacing of the plot, individual character development, and gradual explanation of the consequences of virtually every action are very meticulously and professionally crafted.  Even beyond the overall quality of the film’s contents, the filmmakers’ ability to get as close as they do to their subjects in both their very private family lives and also while in the midst of an incredibly dangerous climbing expedition is absolutely amazing.  With few exceptions, the camera never steps back and its crystal clear focus never falters even when dealing with some of the world’s most harsh conditions. The proximity between the camera and the subjects really marked one of my favorite aspects of the film.  It's so refreshing to see a film set in a place that is so far removed from the usual American television reality show world (where everyone knows exactly how they'll look and how they hope to look on camera).  The emotions, actions and characters in this documentary seem as legitimate as I've watched in a long time.  Hearing one boy ask himself and wonder about what he must have done in another life to make him blind now (according to what people have been telling him and accusing him of) is an astonishing sequence to watch.  In fact, all of the six young characters, the woman who founded the school, her co-founder, the climber Eric and his climb team as one element are all tremendously entertaining characters and I would have watched them for another two hours if I could have.   Additional reading: www.braillewithoutborders.org Review by Ryan Pollyea Informative: 5- several topics are explored and explained with care Entertaining: 4.5- carefully balances information, adventure, hardship, triumph over adversity and pure human emotion Technical: 4.5- the journey looks pretty treacherous, so adding in film equipment and shooting it well feels unreal Overall: 4.5- it's a captivating look at an amazing scenario that could have easily been exploitedhttp://www.braillewithoutborders.org/shapeimage_1_link_0
 
Format: DVD Year: 2006 Run Time: 104 minutes Distributor: Abramorama et al Producers: Sybil Robson Director: Lucy Walker Date Reviewed: 4/23/09 Story: Six blind Tibetan teenagers set off on a gripping adventure as they attempt to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. Considered cursed in Tibetan culture, blind children are often hidden away to live as pariahs. Determined to challenge that perception, the kids gear up for a demanding expedition led by climber Erik Weihenmayer -- the first blind man to scale Everest -- and learn some lessons about life along the way (Netflix).