“This is a very unusual film, knowing that the people it’s about will never see it,” noted an audience member during the Q&A of director Juraj Lehotský’s gentle, perceptive and winsomely unconventional documentary Blind Loves, which profiles the lives of three blind couples and a teenaged girl as they search for or live with the loves of their lives.
Peter is a middle-aged music teacher who lives in a cramped apartment with his wife. Their relationship is a comfortable and jovial one, as we see them joke with each other over mundane daily matters. “Have you seen my bag?” Peter asks. “What does it look like?” his wife responds. The film follows them through their daily routine, showing the casual expertise with which they manage their lives. Peter is a fan of ski jumping, and can estimate the distance of each jump to within 5 metres simply from listening to the take-off and landing. His wife feels the breadth of his shoulders, then knits him a lovely sweater that fits perfectly.
We are then introduced to Miro, who is head over heels for his girlfriend Monika. But their relationship is not without its complications. Miro’s affection often spills over into neediness and jealousy, and Monika’s parents do not approve of Miro’s Roma heritage. The difficulties they face take on a new dimension when Monika learns she’s pregnant and they are forced to decide what to do.
Less conflicted in her emotions is Elena, a married blind woman whose peaceful, calm demeanour masks many of the worries and anxieties she faces as she approaches the birth of her first child. Will her baby be taken away from her? Will she be able to care for it as well as she wants to?
And last but not least is Zuzana, a 14-year-old girl who spends her time instant messaging a boy she likes and listening to Tchaikovsky. She admits to having no idea what it’s like to be in love but is eager to find out, and is glad that her increasing maturity is bringing her out of her more introverted shell.
The separate portraits the film presents all coalesce into a warm and compassionate perspective on the universal nature of one of the driving forces of our lives. As the film’s producer Marko Škop replied succinctly in his introduction, “All you need is love. Enjoy the film.”
Blind Loves screens again on Friday at 4:45 at the Isabel Bader Theatre, and on Saturday at 4:15 at Varsity 2.
(Pictured above: director Juraj Lehotský)
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