The short story The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells gets a feature adaption courtesy of Rahhat Shah Kazmi. Here’s what we think.
A legendary writer, H.G. Wells has had many of his stories adapted into movies over the years. Of course, there are the infamous adaptions of The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr, Moreau and The Time Machine, but lesser-known works such as The Magic Shop, Wishbone, and The History of Mr Polly have also seen screen time. Now, the short story The Country of the Blind receives an adaption and, for an independent production, it’s a decent film.
Abhimanyu (Shoib Nikash Shah), an Indian mountaineer, inadvertently descends into a concealed valley after a fall while leading his European friends up an unexplored peak. Stranded without the means to climb back, he navigates the valley, encountering the descendants of a sightless tribe. Contrary to his expectations, Abhimanyu finds himself neither revered nor advantaged for his sight but, instead, treated like a novice struggling to adapt to their sightless existence. Whilst he may be desperate to find a way back home, he starts to change his mind upon meeting the beautiful Gosha (Hina Khan).
Filmed in India, Country of the Blind is quite stunning with its often beautiful and striking cinematography, which shows the luscious landscape for all to see. The grading and lighting are also very well done, with blue hues used for nighttime interior tent scenes, and a rich and vibrant palette for exterior daytime shots too. Just watching the film, you are captivated and transported to the picturesque terrain.
The acting, for the most part, is commendable, especially Shah who relishes in his role as Abhimanyu. The spelling mistakes in the subtitles is a little off-putting, but it can be forgiven, seeing as English is obviously not their first language, though the team behind Country of the Blind should have maybe double-checked everything was right before completion.
Another impressive aspect of Country of the Blind is the music, which is impressive. We have Edric Hwang, Nandini Rai. And Sezairi to thank for their musical compositions that just make the movie feel even more epic.
The film, while for the most part is very well done (as stated above), it is also not without its faults and can sometimes drag on a bit, especially for a film with a runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes, and some of the director’s choice can be questionable at times. Yet, we can’t help but be impressed by the amount of effort put into making the movie.
According to the director’s notes, Country of the Blind has recently had a limited cinema release in the States, and will also be released in theatres in India, Vietnam, and Turkey in the next few months. We always ask our readers to support independent cinema, so this could be a film to catch on the big screen soon. Get your ticket.
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