L'aveugle qui ne voulait pas voir le Titanic

Sokea Mies Joka Ei Halunnut Nähdä Titanicia (or The Blind Man Who Did Not Want To See Titanic for the English title) is a Finnish drama/romance, but not a comedy nor thriller like it's also categorized. There's a long scene where some thugs lack of compassion but other than that there's no thrilling here. Not a bad movie though if you like drama/romances. Petri Poikolainen plays a blind man in a wheelchair because of MS and he was convincing, which shouldn't be a problem to play as he really suffers from that condition. But he was very convincing in his acting, you feel really sorry for him, which is most likely the point of this movie, and you feel happy for him when things turn out good for once. The cinematography could have been better in my opinion. Sometimes it looked shot with cheap material, out of focus scenes that shouldn't have to be. Maybe on purpose at times but sometimes simple and normal is just better.

Stumbling upon the 2021 Finnish movie "Sokea Mies Joka Ei Halunnut Nähdä Titanicia" (aka "The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic"), of course I opted to watch it, as I had never seen nor heard about the movie before. But I have to say that the movie's synopsis definitely won me over.

Writer and director Teemu Nikki actually put together a storyline that had something very special to offer. Now, before I delve deeper into this, I have to say that this movie is somewhat of an acquired taste, and it is unlikely to find an appeal with the ordinary movie viewer. But if you enjoy movies that transcends the usual formula and goes beyond meager entertainment, then perhaps you should give this movie a chance.

The storyline was rather interesting, and it was also a nicely written storyline. Teemu Nikki really managed to capture something rather unique and special here. And it was a combination of that rather unusual and unique storyline and narrative mixed with a phenomenal performance by leading actor Petri Poikolainen that really made this an outstanding and enjoyable movie.

I have not even watched half a dozen of Finnish movies, so I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie. But since the movie mostly just focused on Petri Poikolainen, there was a lot of weight on his shoulders for delivering and carrying the movie. And boy, did he do just that! His performance was so realistic, personal and spot on.

I genuinely enjoyed watching "Sokea Mies Joka Ei Halunnut Nähdä Titanicia", but it is hardly a movie that warrants more than just a single viewing, as the script just doesn't have the contents to support multiple viewings. But this is definitely a movie that I will recommend you to watch, especially if you enjoy offbeat movies.

My rating of "Sokea Mies Joka Ei Halunnut Nähdä Titanicia" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

They're certainly out there, but there are relatively few movies in the world that center disabled individuals as protagonists, let alone movies that aim to provide some measure of perspective on a given condition. It's not for me to judge how fully successful filmmaker Teemu Nikki was in this capacity, or how delicate and mindful, but the effort is absolutely to be commended nonetheless, and to the same end it's well worth observing that star Petri Poikolainen is himself afflicted with the same conditions as protagonist Jaakko. In both his writing and direction Nikki strives to zero in on the experience of a man who is blind and relies on a wheelchair as a mobility aid, and the small details that are woven into the picture in various ways are very gratifying. The camera is tightly focused on Jaakko at all times, speaking to the smallness and isolation of his world, yet even at that Sari Aaltonen's cinematography is unexpectedly smart, thoughtful, and even dynamic - and in turn, deeply immersive. Carefully plotted audio clues us in to what Jaakko overhears other people saying about him, and speaks to the screen readers and audio devices upon which the visually impaired rely; minutiae in the scene writing further elucidates both how the protagonist gets by, and how rich his life is even with severe and increasing limitations. Most every fundamental choice in 'The blind man who did not want to see Titanic' is geared toward fostering, as much as an audiovisual medium can, understanding of Jaakko, and in turn the disabled in real life, and in Nikki's sagacity that even includes limiting what we as an audience can perceive in the film.

Going further still with the same guiding ethos, the narrative is more or less split into two parts, one a romantic comedy-drama, and the other a drama-thriller. There is welcome wry wit in the former portion, earning some definite laughs, while the latter offers meaningful tension and suspense, and all the while the telling is wonderfully earnest as Nikki looks at not just how Jaakko lives daily, but also how he navigates difficult, exigent circumstances. It is a bit of a tonal shift, certainly, yet the feature is so strongly centered that it feels natural, avoiding the pitfall that other filmmakers have fallen into of turning hard from one mood to another. Through it all Poikolainen gives a tremendous performance, bringing his very personal, very realistic character to vibrant emotional life. The scene writing is rich and potent, characters are carefully considered, and even the dialogue is very real and believable, and marked with swell personality. While the music takes a backseat here it adds fantastic flavor where it does come into play, and everything from the editing to sound direction is superb. In every way the title is splendidly well made - and the fact that it's so sharply written and directed, with such an admirable core, is marvelously refreshing. I assumed I would enjoy this, yet I'm completely taken with just how excellent it is from top to bottom, and I find myself surprised that it hasn't gotten more attention, and that was kind of only by chance that I came across it. 'The blind man who did not want to see Titanic' deserves much more recognition as far as I'm concerned, for every reason, and in mind it's well worth seeking out.

I was able to catch a screening at my local film festival. Not knowing what the movie was about, I bought a ticket as I was super intrigued by the title. From the film's title, I was expecting some sort of deep symbolic meaning from the film. It turns out the title is exactly what the movie is about. A blind man who did not want to see titanic, well, and a little bit more.

We follow our main character, who is a film lover, especially John Carpenter and James Cameron. He loves Alien, Terminator, The Abyss, but refuses to watch Titanic as he considers it a turd. No joke. Our main character is slowly going blind and paralyzed from the waist down. Every day he talks to a girl on the phone, which is his only daily activity. When he realizes that her health is declining, he decides to go visit her.

This movie is technically perfect. It is able to immerse me and show how someone who is visually impaired lives and how they perceive the world, and in that aspect, this movie already scored a 10 for me. The whole film uses extreme closeups and shallow focus and only uses sound to immerse us in the world of our character, we see nothing but our character's face throughout the whole film, and not one single second was I bored. This technique causes every sound in the background to be heightened, immersing us in the film.

This movie was so hilarious at points I couldn't stop laughing, and I can dare say that it is funnier than many comedies I see nowadays. But don't be fooled, this is also one of the most intense films I have seen in years.

My only problem is the direction the film went; it could have gone any direction it wanted, but it chose the most anxiety-stricken path and placed our character in a situation he did not deserve. It upsets me that the amoral characters in the film never got the comeuppance they deserve. Besides that, this movie is such a great joy to watch, and I can't wait and hope for more people to see it.

9/10.

Tied with Mar Adentro (2004) for the best film on disabilities ever made. Definitely on my list of the top ten films made this century!

A hidden gem that is by no means an easy watch, but certainly worth the short running time. And it shouldn't be an easy watch, given that we are watching this from the viewing of a blind man paralyzed from the waist down. We should be counting our blessings, as the director has allowed us to see colors, and vague shapes. What we see is blurry figures, other times we get to see clear titles and scenery; as opposed to our protagonist's true fate, black nothing.

Although there are many moments of comedy as well as grace, the disorienting sounds, very deliberate mise en scène, and confusticating cinematography make for quite the unpleasant viewing experience. Add to this the emotional difficulty of watching this brave man fight for something so simple and beautiful as a visit to the girlfriend he has yet to meet in real life, and you have the recipe for some heartwrenching tears. At the climax of the film, talk about anyone's worst nightmare! Aspects of this film would categorize this as horror; more frightening than any slasher film out there. Give me Freddy Krueger or Hannibal Lector any day over being so utterly mentally and physically trapped in such indeterminate circumstances! Kudos to the director for the courage to tackle disability from such an innovative, intimate viewpoint.

A unique vision from an underappreciated director (Teemu Nikki), carried to its full potential by an impressive actor that is both blind and paralyzed from multiple sclerosis in real life (Petri Poikolainen)!