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Blindness | 2008 | R | - 9.9.8

An epidemic that causes people to become blind strikes a city and the government decides to isolate the infected in a facility that becomes overrun by a power hungry group. The people inside will do anything for food, and when they begin to turn on each other and prey on each other it becomes clear that desperate people will do anything to survive. With Don McKellar, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Alice Braga and Sandra Oh. Directed by Fernando Meirelles. [2:00]

SEX/NUDITY 9 - There are two scenes of mass rape where women reluctantly agree to have sex with men in order to get food: the men are animalistic and abusive, we see bodies in silhouette, we see thrusting and hear rhythmic moaning; we see one man forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him (she is on her knees and her head is at his genitals, she threatens to bite him and he threatens to shoot her if she does), we hear one man asking a woman if he can suck her nipples, and we see one man beating a woman in the head and face (we see her dead later with blood on her head and hands).
 A married man and a woman have sex: we hear moaning and heavy breathing, we see her seated on a table and he thrusts (we see his bare shoulders and chest and her bare legs). A man and a woman have sex and it appears to be a pre-arranged meeting, specifically for sex: we hear moaning, we see the man on top of the woman, and then he rolls off her (we see his bare buttocks and chest and her bare breasts and legs). A man and a woman have sex on the floor of a hallway (we see bare buttocks and legs) and hear muffled moaning and breathing. A husband and wife have sex (we don't see specifics, just hear moaning, grunting and kissing).
 A fully nude man (his genitals are visible) stands in a street and a fully nude woman stands next to him (her pubic region and bare breasts are visible). A fully nude man walks in a street (his bare chest, legs and pubic region are visible). A nude woman sits in a tub of water (we see her bare breasts and abdomen). Three women shower together (we see bare breasts and abdomens and nothing sexual is implied). A nude woman in a hotel hallway panics when she becomes blind (we see her bare back and buttocks). We see nude men in a hallway (their bare buttocks and legs are visible) in a couple of scenes and nude women (we see bare buttocks and backs) in several additional scenes. Two nude women lie on beds, and one reveals bare breasts and the other bare back and buttocks.
 A man walks behind a woman, and he grabs her clothed breasts and fondles her hips, (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A man calls for women to be brought to his ward so that they will have sex in exchange for food.
 A woman helps a man bathe (she pours water over his head) and they talk intimately. A husband caresses his wife's eyes and mouth and hugs her.

VIOLENCE/GORE 9 - There are two scenes of mass rape where women reluctantly agree to have sex with men in order to get food: the men are animalistic and abusive, we see bodies in silhouette, we see thrusting and hear rhythmic moaning; we see one man forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him (she is on her knees and her head is at his genitals, she threatens to bite him and he threatens to shoot her if she does), we hear one man asking a woman if he can suck her nipples, and we see one man beating a woman in the head and face (we see her dead later with blood on her head and hands).
 We see dogs eating from a dead body: we see them tugging, we hear tearing and we see one dog pulling on what looks like a piece of intestine (there is blood on the body and the dogs' mouths).
 A mattress is set on fire, a room is filled with flames and smoke, we see people in the room in flames and hear screaming, and the building is shown in flames and many people gather outside the building.
 A man is stabbed in the chest (we hear a crunch and the man screams), another man shoots at the assailant and the victim dies. A man is shot in the head (we see blood spray and hear him fall to the ground).
 A large crowd of people pushes toward a building, they begin to panic, one man strays from the line, a guard with a gun takes aim at him, people continue to push, several people are trampled and we hear gunshots (we see at least two dead bodies later).
 We see several dead bodies being dragged to holes dug in the ground for burial.
 People fight over food in a grocery store: many people attack a woman as she tries to take some food out of the store, one person falls over a balcony onto the floor below (we hear a thud), the woman screams and tries to fight the people off and she eventually gets away. A man walks behind a woman, he grabs her clothed breasts and fondles her hips, she strikes his hand away once and then kicks him in the leg (we see a bloody wound on his leg when he is bandaged). People fight over food in several scenes.
 Young children attack a man and steal his belongings (he is pushed to the ground). Two men fight: they shove each other to the floor and punch each other (a third man breaks up the fight).
 A man holds a gun to a man's throat. Police officers hold guns on a man and threaten to shoot him. A man shoots a gun in the air and threatens to shoot people.
 A man grabs a woman's sweater, pulls her close to him, and then threatens her. A man yells at a woman's door and tries to force his way in, and he is pulled away by a police officer. A nude woman in a hotel hallway panics when she becomes blind; she tries to pick up her belongings, which she had dropped on the floor, and struggles against people trying to grab her.
 A man in a car in traffic rubs his eyes and moans in pain, he says he is blind, another man drives him home, gets out of the car and is left in the street where cars speed past him honking their horns (he is guided to the curb safely). We see many people as they lose their sight (several people wander through traffic, a bus crashes on the highway and flips on its side, two airplanes crash together in mid-air, and cars and trucks crash together).
 A woman nearly gags from the appearance and smell of a man's gangrenous leg (we see blackened and glistening skin on his leg). We see many scenes of urine and feces smeared on floors and people slipping as they walk through it; one man urinates on a wall (we see the stream) and a boy urinates in his pants (we see a puddle forming).
 A man makes a crude reference to women on their menstrual cycle. A husband yells at his wife in frustration.
 Emergency medical personnel round up many people who have become infected and take them to a facility where they are left to fend for themselves. We see an ophthalmologist holding a patient's eye open and administering drops. We see several blind people stumbling over objects, walking into walls and doors and falling down. We see a city in ruins with debris and garbage all around.

LANGUAGE 8 - 31 F-words, 1 obscene hand gesture, 5 sexual references, 15 scatological terms, 4 anatomical terms, 10 mild obscenities, name-calling (jerks, idiot, stupid), 3 exclamations (shut up), 1 religious profanity, 16 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People drink alcohol in a restaurant.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Epidemics, panic, quarantines, love, infidelity, authority, agnosticism, medical research, cures, racism, morality, dignity, jealousy

MESSAGE - Morality can quickly be surrendered during times of panic.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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