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If you knew that you were going to lose your sight, what would you want to see before it happened? In the National Geographic documentary Blink, one couple makes a plan to see as much of the world as possible while it’s still possible for their children.
Blink follows a young family from Montreal on a year-long journey around the world. When three of Édith and Sébastien’s four children were diagnosed with a rare and incurable genetic disorder that leads to blindness, they decided to fill their visual memories with as many spectacular images as possible—and not just through books and movies. Instead, the family put together a bucket list of things to do and see before they lost their eyesight—and they set off to enjoy as many adventures as they could in a year’s time.
The film joins this family of six as they travel from country to country, checking items off their list—whether they’re on safari in Namibia, learning to surf in Indonesia, or eating ice cream in Turkey. For the most part, they seem like just another normal family—with a wistful pre-teen daughter and three rambunctious young boys. They run and play and laugh and imagine. But there are already signs that things are changing for these kids. Their sight loss begins with night vision—and they tend to become fearful when the sun sets and their vision fades away.
From time to time, they share their thoughts on the process and on their future—all with different levels of understanding. And Édith opens up about her own struggles to process the reality of her children’s situation. In true National Geographic style, everything here is visually stunning—from the striking desert sunsets to Himalayan vistas. But it’s all bittersweet, too, knowing the reason for this journey.
Admittedly, the storytelling here can feel uneven. The film offers very little information about this disorder—on how it will play out for the children as they grow older. And while the filmmakers obviously had to pick and choose which parts of the journey to focus on, some of the choices seem strange. But it all comes together to tell a beautiful but heartbreaking story of a family’s undertaking to see a lifetime of sights in a year.
Blink is a film filled with breathtaking sights and once-in-a-lifetime adventures. It’s a story about living in the moment and taking advantage of every opportunity. And while it seems to leave out some important parts, it’s still a journey worth taking.
You can join this family on their quest when Blink arrives in theaters on October 4, 2024.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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