Review of At First Sight (1999) by Reem A — 09 Dec 2010

This movie meets all the requirements necessary to be a romance, but not much else, despite the fact that it is built on a true story that is rich and inspiring if it would've just been given a chance to be explored in that way.

It's a cheesy story if you just look at the surface: a blind masseuse meets a woman who loves him enough to help him regain his sight by surgery, not taking into account that seeing again after a lifetime of darkness packs complications with it. I say this movie meets the requirements as a romance because it does so perfectly by making these two people meet, connect, love each other, make sacrifices and those sacrifices bring with them complications that strain their relationship and connection with each other before their love is strengthened and solidified into an unbreakable bond.

The trouble is that this romance, as I said, is based on a true story that brings to the surface a lot of abstract ideas that would've elevated the level of this movie and presented something a lot more interesting and unique than just a romance novel in movie form.

The movie just touches on the very interesting struggle a blind person can have after gaining sight, and their perception of what it is they are seeing. I never thought of it that way before, and this movie just gave me a glimpse of how regaining sight is not as simple as just opening your eyes, that it's really scary and disorienting, and I wish I would've gotten more of that from this movie that could've been so much more.