Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a mother and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
Music editFurther information:
For the film’s soundtrack, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (of Nine Inch Nails) were brought in. On January 1, 2019, the soundtrack album was officially released, approximately two weeks subsequent to the film’s premiere. Originally available only on the Nine Inch Nails website, it was subsequently made available for purchase on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, and other stores. The ten tracks in the released version totaled one hour and six minutes of music. Reznor made the following statement on the Nine Inch Nails website:
On November 22, 2019, the entire soundtrack became available only as part of a limited-edition vinyl box set, which also included a digital download upon purchase. [27] The extended version includes an additional hour of music and 13 additional tracks, making the album a two-hour (plus six minutes) total.
Reznor labeled the experience a “fucking waste of time” in December 2019, criticizing the Bird Box producers for using his and Ross’s music and the film editor for creating an insufficiently low mix of the music in the movie. [28].
Release edit
On November 12, 2018, the movie had its world premiere at the AFI Fest. [29] However, Netflix canceled the AFI Fest red carpet coverage that was scheduled for the premiere due to the Woolsey Fire that struck California and out of respect for the victims of the Thousand Oaks shooting. [30] On December 14, 2018, the movie debuted in limited theaters. On December 21, 2018, Netflix started streaming the movie. [31].
Plot edit
Malorie Hayes tells two small children that they will travel down a river in a rowboat in a post-apocalyptic world. She gives them a severe warning not to take off their blindfolds or else they will perish.
Jessica, Malorie’s sister, pays her a visit five years prior when she is expecting. Unknown mass suicides are reportedly occurring throughout Europe and Asia, according to news reports. Following a maternity examination, Malorie sees a woman repeatedly slamming her head through the hospital window. Others start acting suicidal as well, causing panic and chaos. Afterward, Malorie hurries to leave the scene with Jessica. Driving away from the hospital, Jessica notices something strange that makes her go crazy, so she purposefully causes her car to crash. She is then killed when she crosses in front of a speeding truck.
A woman offers to let Malorie stay in her home as she runs away on foot. After seeing the entity, the woman enters a trance and sits inside a burning car. Malorie is picked up by Tom, a bystander, from the street and brought inside the home where she is joined by Douglas, Greg, Cheryl, Felix, Charlie, and Lucy. Charlie claims that the appearance of demonic entities is a sign of the end times and that humanity has been judged. He adds that those spirits go by different names in different cultures, including Surgat, Aka Manah, Huli Jing, and Púca. Every time someone leaves the house, they blindfold themselves and cover all the windows. Greg kills himself as Olympia, a new survivor who is pregnant, arrives. Greg volunteered to see if it is safe to watch them through security camera footage in an indirect manner.
To replenish their running low on food, half of the group heads to the grocery store where Charlie used to work. They utilize a GPS navigation system while driving there in a car with covered windows. Malorie gets three pet birds along with their supplies. She notices the entities presence agitates the birds. Subsequently, Charlie’s colleague assaults the group, trying to make them stare at the creatures. However, Charlie sacrifices himself to save the others. They make it back to the house. Felix and Lucy eventually steal the vehicle and take off.
Against Douglass’s wishes, Olympia lets a stranger named Gary into the house. Gary tells how he got away from a bunch of survivors who weren’t blindfolded and went insane after witnessing the entities. They were trying to make other people look at them too. Douglas attempts to eject Gary, but Cheryl knocks him unconscious, and the others imprison him in the garage. While Malorie and Olympia go into labor at the same time, Gary draws the entities, indicating he has also seen them and has become insane. He renders Tom unconscious and lets Douglas see the entities by opening the garage door. Gary goes upstairs and rips all the windows blinds. Olympia doesn’t turn away, and upon seeing the creature, she jumps out of the window and ends her own life. While Gary coerces Cheryl to look at the entities and ultimately causes her to stab herself in the neck with a pair of scissors, Malorie hides with both of the newborn babies under a cover. Douglas breaks out of the garage, recklessly aiming a shotgun at Gary, wounding him, but Gary kills him with the scissors. Soon after, Tom starts to heal and battles Gary for the gun. Malorie hears several gunshots, but Tom reassures her that nothing is wrong.
Five years later, Tom and Malorie share a home with “Boy” and “Girl,” the children. They hear from survivors that there is a safe community tucked away in the forest that can only be reached by boat down the river. A group of survivors who have not been blindfolded attacks them as they leave their home. Malorie and the kids are able to escape when Tom diverts the attackers. He opens his eyes and sees the entities, but before taking his own life, he defeats all of the assailants.
Carrying the birds to alert the kids to the entities, Malorie and the kids ride a boat down the river while wearing blindfolds. River rapids and an unblindfolded survivor are two of the challenges they face. The three soon arrive at the coast, but before long, Malorie slides off a hill, separating them. The children are almost deceived by the entities into removing their blindfolds. When Malorie awakens, she tells the kids where to find her and that she loves them. Eventually, they arrive at the community, which was formerly a blind school. After releasing the birds, Malorie reveals her identity as their mother by giving the kids names Tom and Olympia. She is also happy when she sees her obstetrician, Dr. Lapham, is one of the survivors.
FAQ
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