Mark Reviews Movies: THE BLIND MAN WHO DID NOT WANT TO SEE TITANIC

The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, Cinedigm

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Review by Mark Dujsik | February 2, 2023

The man, who is blind and has multiple sclerosis, lives alone in an apartment. He does have his phone, which keeps him on schedule with medication and up-to-date with the news, and a father who calls him exactly five seconds after each of his son's pills is supposed to be taken. He receives daily visits from a nurse and, most important to him at the moment, regular calls from a woman whom he is kind of dating. She gets him, because she, too, is ill and, as such, is underestimated, overlooked, and mostly pitied by other people. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic sets out to challenge such assumptions and prejudices, and it does so in smart and increasingly unexpected ways.

Of key note is the way Teemu Nikki, the writer/director, gives us a near-constant sense of the perspective of Jaakko (Petri Poikolainen, who has the same conditions as the character he is playing), the eponymous character who is also paralyzed from the chest down. In his wheelchair or in bed or on the floor after the occasional fall, Jaakko remains in tight focus in close-up, while everything and everyone surrounding him are obscured in such a way that reflects the character's ability to sense his surroundings.

If it's something or someone he knows, Nikki gives us an out-of-focus view of the thing, such as the unopened DVD of Titanic (that he refuses to watch because of his particular tastes), or person. If a stranger approaches Jaakko, the director keeps that person's face out of frame or, in the case of one particular stranger (played by Samuli Jaskio) who talks to our protagonist on a train during the short second act, keep that face anonymous with accessories, like the sunglasses that help us identify him later. In one particularly frightening scene, the screen goes black for about a minute or so, because Jaakko has no idea where he is, what's around him, or who might be waiting for him in this unknown place.

In case it isn't clear yet, Nikki's film does become something of a thriller, after Jaakko decides to travel by train and cab to see Sirpa (Marjaana Maijala), his over-the-phone girlfriend. The first act establishes Jaakko, as a jokey and self-reliant/stubborn guy who becomes frustrated by the minimal expectations and shows of pity other people offer him, and the typical challenges he might encounter day-to-day, as well as the ways he meets them. Once it becomes clear that someone has other intentions for Jaakko, we watch the unfolding standoff with a clear notion of just how significant a challenge this will be for him.

We don't, however, observe it with pity, because both Nikki and Poikolainen have made it equally clear that Jaakko is capable, resourceful, and clever, regardless of his condition. That doesn't make The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic any less suspenseful, but it does mean the film never patronizes or exploits its protagonist.

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