DVD Review - Land of the Blind
Writer/director Robert Edwards' film is a quirky political fable that is set in an unknown county. It borrows from 1984 but it is totally unique in its take on politics. In other words, it takes shots at everyone.
Ralph Fiennes plays Joe, a guard at a high security prison. Joe is loyal to Maximilian Jr. (Tom Hollander) who is not only a dictator but a filmmaker as well. As bad as his father was Junior is a hundred times worse (sound familiar?). However, Joe's loyalties change after he meets Thorne (Donald Sutherland) a writer who is in jail for being a revolutionary. Thorne would like nothing more than to rid his country and the world of the maniacal Junior and restore democracy for all.
Junior has a number of aides but his number one confidant is his wife (Laura Flynn Boyle) who very much resembles Lady Macbeth. Because pressure is mounting from the masses Junior is forced to release Thorne (who was elected to Parliament while imprisoned). Joe helps Thorne stage a coup in which Junior and his first lady are killed. But as time goes on Joe realizes that Thorne's new regime is just as bad as the previous one. That is all I am going to say about the plot because I don't want to spoil things.
I really enjoyed watching Fiennes and Sutherland play off of each other. Hollander is wonderful as Junior. You can tell that he is having a great deal of fun with this role. Once in a while the screenplay gets a bit muddled but for the most part the writing and the directing are very intelligent. A lot of the film focuses on Joe's inner thoughts and we sometimes have to wonder what is real and what is not. That is part of the challenge with this film which is a good thing. It makes us use our brains.
Most of the critics did not like this film. In fact, this is the third film in a row that I have rented from Netflix that the critics did not like. It makes me wonder if they actually stay until the end of some of the films they see (especially these small films). In any case, I do recommend Land of the Blind if you want to see a film that will make you think about the world that we live in.
Ralph Fiennes plays Joe, a guard at a high security prison. Joe is loyal to Maximilian Jr. (Tom Hollander) who is not only a dictator but a filmmaker as well. As bad as his father was Junior is a hundred times worse (sound familiar?). However, Joe's loyalties change after he meets Thorne (Donald Sutherland) a writer who is in jail for being a revolutionary. Thorne would like nothing more than to rid his country and the world of the maniacal Junior and restore democracy for all.
Junior has a number of aides but his number one confidant is his wife (Laura Flynn Boyle) who very much resembles Lady Macbeth. Because pressure is mounting from the masses Junior is forced to release Thorne (who was elected to Parliament while imprisoned). Joe helps Thorne stage a coup in which Junior and his first lady are killed. But as time goes on Joe realizes that Thorne's new regime is just as bad as the previous one. That is all I am going to say about the plot because I don't want to spoil things.
I really enjoyed watching Fiennes and Sutherland play off of each other. Hollander is wonderful as Junior. You can tell that he is having a great deal of fun with this role. Once in a while the screenplay gets a bit muddled but for the most part the writing and the directing are very intelligent. A lot of the film focuses on Joe's inner thoughts and we sometimes have to wonder what is real and what is not. That is part of the challenge with this film which is a good thing. It makes us use our brains.
Most of the critics did not like this film. In fact, this is the third film in a row that I have rented from Netflix that the critics did not like. It makes me wonder if they actually stay until the end of some of the films they see (especially these small films). In any case, I do recommend Land of the Blind if you want to see a film that will make you think about the world that we live in.
posted by Film Fanatic | 1:59 PM
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