Movie Review ~ Blink (2024)

While Hollywood has produced films showing us the human spirit’s resilience can win out over staggering odds, reality often trumps the imagination when drafting compelling narratives.  Family dramas like Lorenzo’s Oil and My Life stick out in my memory as true-life tales of families facing a life-altering diagnosis that focus not just on survival but on embracing the world’s beauty before it slips away.  In some ways, the true story behind the new documentary Blink is even more profound, and it’s been captured on a grand scale by filmmaker Edmund Stenson and Oscar-winning director Daniel Roher.

Blink doesn’t focus on an epic sporting event or a high-stakes race to the moon. Instead, it delivers a deeply personal and intimate narrative about a family attempting to beat time. Édith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier, the loving parents at the heart of this story, are given the kind of news that no family ever wants to hear: three of their four children have been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that will cause them to go blind gradually. Faced with the inevitable loss of their children’s sight, the Montreal couple boldly decide to show their children the world’s most breathtaking sights before they can no longer see them.

This powerful premise sets the stage for a global journey that attracted national attention, one that isn’t just a travelogue but a moving tribute to perseverance, family bonds, and the fleeting nature of time. Rather than retreating into grief, the Pelletier family embarks on a life-changing expedition, mapping out an unforgettable itinerary across continents to fill their children’s visual memory banks before darkness descends. It’s a globe-trotting story of hope, adventure, and defiance in the face of the unknown.

Offering viewers a front-row seat to the same wonders of the world the children are seeing, the stunning cinematography captures Mia, Léo, Colin, and Laurent’s journey through Mongolia, Turkey, Africa, and Egypt, to name a few.  In a way, the camera is another character trying to lock in all the memories before they fade from view forever.  While there are plenty of joyful, whimsical moments, Blink doesn’t shy away from the more complex realities. A slight melancholy hangs over the family as the children’s failing eyesight makes navigating specific locales and many evening explorations difficult. One taut scene finds the family trapped for hours on a swaying ski lift—a harrowing sequence that will have younger viewers gripping their seats and parents wincing in discomfort.

Blink shines by never allowing its serious themes to overwhelm its heartwarming narrative. Directors Stenson and Roher understand when to push emotional buttons and when to pull back, letting the Pelletiers’ natural bravery take center stage. While the film does carry weighty themes, it is equally packed with optimism and adventure, transforming what could have been a sad viewing into an inspiring celebration of life.  The documentary (premiering in theaters prior to its release on streaming) is also boosted by its multilingual and multicultural experience. Much of the film is subtitled, reflecting the family’s travels through different countries and cultures.

A film about more than seeing the world, Blink offers viewers a chance to reflect on how we choose to navigate our lives. Both heartbreaking and life-affirming, The Pelletiers’ journey reminds us that sometimes life’s greatest challenges lead to its most meaningful adventures.