Blindsight (2008)
-
98% of critics liked it
(49 reviews) -
79% of users liked it
(951 ratings)
Erik Weihenmayer is an athlete and climbing enthusiast who, in the spring of 2001, scaled the summit of Mount Everest. This would be a notable accomplishment for anyone, but Weihenmayer was different from those who had reached Everest's peak before him -- he's been blind since the age of… More Erik Weihenmayer is an athlete and climbing enthusiast who, in the spring of 2001, scaled the summit of Mount Everest. This would be a notable accomplishment for anyone, but Weihenmayer was different from those who had reached Everest's peak before him -- he's been blind since the age of thirteen. Weihenmayer's remarkable story came to the attention of Sabriye Tenberken, an educator who teaches blind teenagers in Lhasa, Tibet. In Tibetan culture, blindness is considered by many to be a curse, and it's not unknown for families to abandon children who are blind to the streets. Hoping to show others what her students could do, Tenberken invited Weihenmayer to Tibet to lead six teenagers on a climb of Lhakpa Ri, a peak on the northern face of Mount Everest. Weihenmayer eagerly accepted the invitation and in 2004 he joined Tenberken and her students on the adventure of a lifetime as six sightless novice climbers attempted to conquer one of the world's tallest and most challenging mountains. Documentary filmmaker Lucy Walker joined Weihenmayer for his adventure with the Tibetan students, and Blindsight is a record of what he and his charges accomplished together. Blindsight received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Lucy Walker
- Genres
- Documentary, Action & Adventure, Special Interest
PG,
- In Theaters
- Sep 11, 2006 Wide
- On DVD
- Jan 13, 2009
- Studio
- Spark Entertainment
Critic Reviews
-
David Jenkins, Time Out
Blindsight is a great example of the emotional dividends that careful photography, sensitive editing and an atmospheric score can deliver.
-
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
To see how these conflicts play out, to see how both sides came to realize that they had unexpected things to learn from these remarkable young people, is where Blindsight really makes its mark.
-
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Coying and manipulative.
-
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Watching it, you feel almost as much a winner as the kids themselves.
-
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
Walker captures all the dreamy-scary beauty of Everest's upper reaches, as well as numerous mini-dramas about the kids' readiness to approach the summit.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
