Blind Loves

Colour, 35 mm
Slovak Republic, 2008, 77 min
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

They say that love is blind. But does this apply in the case of love between blind people? Back in 2003 experienced Slovak documentarian Juraj Lehotský began collecting material for his feature-length debut about the different forms of love which sight-impaired people experience. In the end, he compiled his film from four separate stories. The main protagonist of the first tale is music teacher Peter who, apart from perfect pitch, is also endowed with a remarkable imagination eloquently illustrated in the film via playful special effects. The love story between the blind Roma Miro and the weak-sighted white Monika, whose parents aren’t keen on the match, almost assumes the dimensions of a Classical drama. In the next story, we see Elena and Laco, whose love for one another gradually evolves into a parental bond as the pair wait anxiously for the birth of their child. The heroine of the last story is 14-year-old Zuzka, who hopes that the boy she has found on the Internet is The One. This delicate mosaic of stories about heroes blind from birth opens up the rich world that these people have created for themselves. A world which is very often much brighter and more colourful than our own.

About the director

Juraj Lehotský (b. 1975, Bratislava) attended applied-art college in Bratislava during the years 1990–1994, with special focus on photography. From 1995 to 2000 he studied documentary film direction at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He works as a director of documentary films, he also makes video clips, commercials and advertising spots for charities. Filmography: 1995: The Silent World of Jožko Baláž (Tichý svet Jožka Baláža); 1996: With Enough Effort We’ll Get Our Diplomas (Budeme mať výkony, budeme mať diplomy); 1997: A Funeral Is Actually a Premiere (Pohreb je vlastne premiéra); 1998: Unwanted Children (Nechcené deti); 1999, Twins (Dvojičky); 2000: I Didn’t Know I Would Love You So Much (Nevedel som, že ťa budem mať tak rád); 2001: Interview (Rozhovor).