Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by townsend (A) on December 16, 2006 at 15:15:26

Here is the synopsis from www.rottentomatoes.com:

"Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, Blindsight follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest.

A dangerous journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind.

Believed by many Tibetans to be possessed by demons, the children are shunned by their parents, scorned by their villages and rejected by society. Rescued by Sabriye Tenberken -- a blind educator and adventurer who established the first school for the blind in Lhasa, the students invite the famous blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer to visit their school after learning about his conquest of Everest. Erik arrives in Lhasa and inspires Sabriye and her students Kyila, Sonam Bhumtso, Tashi, Gyenshen, Dachung and Tenzin to let him lead them higher than they have ever been before. The resulting 3-week journey is beyond anything any of them could have predicted."

This movie is extraordinary--the Himalayas are beautifully photographed, and there is real human drama and struggle in this documentary.

I saw it in an arthouse theater, and there were only ten other individuals in the theater Friday evening. It was only shown at one time--7:30pm. It's also being shown tonight (Saturday) at same the time, and that's it. Gone . . .

It's just a shame that this movie doesn't have more promoting. I've seen a lot of documentaries, and this one really grabs you and won't let go.

Though there is a strong supporting cast (Eric Weihenmayer, an American who is the first blind mountaineer to summit Everest, his team, and the German blind educator Sabriye [more on her below]), the movies focuses on the six blind Tibetan teenagers, including the lives and families from which them came.

And what of Sabriye Tenberken. This German blind educator tried to join Germany's equivalent of the Peace Corp when she turned eighteen, and she was rejected because of her blindness. So she went on her own to Tibet, went through villages finding blind kids, set up a school for the blind, and taught them how to read and write. Now they have hope, and some of them were learning trades to start businesses.

You'll probably have to catch it on DVD, but don't miss it!

• Official movie site   (Open in New Window)