Overall, I liked the film well enough. I thought Sandra Bullock did a good job in her role, and I found some of the plot to be interesting. I enjoyed how the main characters meet blind people at the end of the film who have established their own sanctuary and are safe because of their inherent advantage in this circumstance. For once, blind people are neither supercrips nor pitiful. They actually have an advantage that makes them the most likely to survive, according to Darwinian theory. There are no other movies that I am aware of that depict blind people in this manner.
When I eventually sat down to watch Bird Box on a snowy Sunday in early January, I discovered that I agreed with my friend. It isnt a movie about blind people at all. The idea is simple: Malorie, played by Sandra Bullock, and her kids are running from something that could kill them if they look at it, which is why they are only wearing blindfolds. The blindfolds are not being used for a stunt. They are a necessity for survival.
I can’t support the “Bird Box Challenge,” even though I think the movie is great and I respect the filmmakers for using blind actors to play the majority of the blind characters. “After the movie came out, a few sighted people decided to wear blindfolds and try to complete a number of tasks without seeing, helped along by the Internet.” While some of these tasks were genuinely dangerous, others were simple and at best produced embarrassing results. People trying to cross the street while wearing a blindfold and without a cane or any other blindness skills have been reported. Even trying to operate a car resulted in a crash, as one might expect. Because of how widespread and excessive the stunts were, Netflix issued a statement warning users not to complete the Bird Box Challenge.
When sight people take on the Bird Box Challenge, they don’t get to know blind people. Moreover, they are not informed about the experience of being an actor in the Bird Box cast. The actors practiced navigating while wearing blindfolds with the assistance of a blind film consultant. This work was done to protect the actors’ safety on the set as well as to make the movie credible. Plot-wise, Malorie and her kids would eventually become more adept since wearing blindfolds is a daily requirement. Because they would have had practice, the characters and actors would have had better nonvisual skills. No one will succeed who puts on a blindfold and attempts a solitary task without any prior practice or planning. In addition to being harmful to blind people, the Bird Box Challenge has no purpose whatsoever.
Malorie and her kids, just called Boy and Girl, adjust remarkably well to their environment and remaining together while wearing blindfolds. They employ a number of strategies that blind people probably employ in somewhat similar ways on a daily basis. But they’re not blind, nor are they attempting to pass for blind.
Living without vision requires abilities, creativity, and the right tools and training; it’s not as simple as putting on a blindfold and hoping for the best. While it’s not as dangerous as the meme suggests, learning it in a day is also not possible.
But gestures and postures wont guarantee a collision-free life. In order to interact with your surroundings, you must use your other senses.
In Bird Box, there’s a scene where Boy and Girl are in the backyard garden. When their mother Malory knocks two objects together while blindfolding them, she says, “Listen to the clicks.” If the sounds are louder, you are in an open area. Pay attention to whether the sounds are softer or louder. But if they’re softer, something is very close, do you hear that? .
Most people don’t need to divide dinner preparation into manageable tasks like chopping vegetables, using the stove, and making sure everything is cooked through. However, these tasks may not come easily to someone who has grown up blind, especially if they haven’t seen their parents do it. Occupational therapists are professionals who can teach people how to perform basic household chores like cooking, cleaning, and laundry. This can help people live independently and safely.
Upon boarding a local train, I always raise my arm to shoulder level. I know there are poles in this section of the train, which is why If my arm is cushioning me, it hurts a lot less if I run into one.
FAQ
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