Notes on Blindness

Notes on Blindness is a profound and moving documentary that was released in 2016. The film is based on the audio diaries of John M. Hull, a respected professor of theology at the University of Birmingham, who became completely blind in 1983 after many years of steadily diminishing vision. This poignant film skilfully brings to life his journey of acceptance and understanding of what he termed "a world beyond sight".

The film opens to find John M. Hull, played by Dan Skinner in dramatized scenes and voiced by Hull himself in the original audio recordings, on the brink of losing his sight completely. He reckons with what this means for him, as a scholar, a husband, and especially as a father. John's wife, Marilyn Hull, is portrayed by actress Simone Kirby, who brings an equal measure of empathy and resilience to her character as she navigates the emotional and practical implications of her husband's blindness.

His daughter, Imogen Hull, also shares remarkable insights into her own experiences. Her animated recollections serve as poetic yet devastating chronicles of their family’s crisis. Hull’s children, notably played by Miranda Beinart-Smith, Eileen Davies, and Lorelei Winterfrost, offer their critical perspectives to the narrative.

What sets Notes on Blindness apart is its avoidance of depicting blindness as mere tragedy. Instead, the film explores how one might "see" the world without the benefit of sight and delivers an intriguing and deeply engrossing exploration of the human condition. It presents Hull's experience as one of transformation, not foreclosure of a life once known but the birth of a new way of perceiving and interacting with the world around him.

The filmmakers, Peter Middleton and James Spinney, are commendable for their innovative use of characterization, narration, and particularly sound. They consciously and artistically play with audio, oscillating between the original tape recordings of Hull's diary entries and the re-staged sequences in which the cast lip-syncs to the audio, thereby creating an immersion in the world as experienced by Hull. This masterful blend of the auditory and the visual, fact and reconstruction, offers an engaging viewing experience.

Many themes run through this film, including family, academia, and faith. The drama takes us into the innermost thoughts of Hull as he navigates the trials and tribulations of academic life, family life, and faith, pushing viewers to question their understanding and expectations of sighted life. Another recurring theme is the struggle for personal autonomy in the face of deteriorating senses, understanding the nature of memory, the importance of dreams, and the power of love and relationships.

The cinematography of Notes on Blindness is beautiful and thoughtful. It precisely communicates Hull's sensory experience, using visual metaphor and innovative shot framing to give the audience a literal viewpoint into Hull's world. Particularly significant are the recurring rain scenes, which underscore Hull's statement that "to understand blindness, dwell in the rain". It gives a view of the world as Hull had known it, which is beyond simply looking.

While the film might initially feel melancholic and heavy, it subtly shifts into an uplifting account of resilience and adaptation, showing how Hull learns to function in his newly darkened world. However, it never shies from the difficulty that this adjustment presents. It deals, often poetically, with the questions of loss, adjustment, and survival.

Moreover, Notes on Blindness is an homage to the power of sound and the human voice, detailing how Hull began to 'listen' to his surroundings more acutely, and in doing so, came to understand his environment in an entirely new and sensitive manner.

In conclusion, Notes on Blindness is an exquisite documentary and a thoughtful exploration of dealing with personal tragedy. The narrative dives deep into John Hull's world, providing audiences with an insight into blindness that may never have been experienced before. It's a profound meditation on loss, innovation, and human adaptation, sure to resonate with audiences for its honesty, warmth, and above all, its boundless spirit.