José Saramago, the author of the novel upon which the film is based, wanted to attend the premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival. His doctors didn't allow him to travel, so Fernando Meirelles flew to Lisbon, Portugal, to show him the film.
Saramago was ultimately enthusiastic about the film. He cried afterwards and told Meirelles that watching the film made him as happy as the day he finished the book.
Saramago was ultimately enthusiastic about the film. He cried afterwards and told Meirelles that watching the film made him as happy as the day he finished the book.
To prepare for the film, the actors, actresses,, extras, and crew participated in "blind camps". They were blindfolded, taken in a car to an unknown location, and left in the middle of the street. However, there were always somebody there to guide them. Despite this, Director Fernando Meirelles claimed that someone would always breakdown.
Like in the novel, there are no names mentioned for any of the characters in the movie.
Producer Niv Fichman became interested in the project back in 1999, when he and Don McKellar, who would write the script, flew to the Canary Islands to talk to the Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author José Saramago about giving them the film rights to his book. One of Saramago's conditions was that the film must not be set in any recognizable countries.
Saramago asked that the movie didn't depict any country in particular. The movie was shot in São Paulo and Osasco, Brazil; Guelph, Ontario, Canada; and Montevideo, Uruguay.