Blink, the Documentary

This winter, Miriam and I have gotten into the habit of watching Friday night movies while John and Will are at basketball practice. Last week, we watched BLINK. It tells the story of the Pelletier family's around the world trip. When three of their four children are diagnosed with a rare disease that will lead to severe visual impairment, the family decides to fill the kids' visual memory banks while they still can. What ensues is a beautiful, honest portrayal of that trip. 

The kids create a bucket list that leads them to Asia, Africa, and South America. To fulfill their goal to see a sunrise on a mountain, they trek to Poon Hill near the Annapurna Sanctuary. I had flashbacks of living in Nepal and trekking to the same spot, recalling similar friendly dogs along the trail, altitude adjustment, and the exquisite views. 

The film doesn't shy away from tough conversations. Mom and daughter reflect on whether the daughter will still sense the vastness of a desert once she can no longer see. The youngest son breaks down during his brother's birthday celebration, thinking about how he won't be able to see the photos commemorating the day. The family endures a horrendous, 10-hour quarantine in a gondola that breaks down, leaving their kids terrified because they don't see well in the dark. The dad has an allergic reaction to a bug sting and the parents imagine how scared they would be if that happened to their children rather than one of them. I would have enjoyed hearing longer segments of those conversations. Instead, we get brief snippets that hint at the deep impact disability has on this family. 

There are some beautiful, light-hearted moments, too. We see the dad wrestling with his boys in a tent. We hear them laugh when the dad says, "we'll see about that," because, well, they might not literally see about that. We see them jumping off a rock into a river. Personally, I marveled at the latter scene. The parents calmly sat on the riverbank, observing their kids laugh and play in the strong current. They exemplified giving their kids the dignity of risk.

My 11 year old daughter was captivated by the film. I wondered if she would be disengaged or if the content would be tough for her. Instead, she had plenty of questions and dreamed about visiting Coney Island like the Pelletier family. My eight year old son even stopped to watch for a bit, amazed at all the adventures the kids were having. If you get a chance to watch BLINK, I think you'll be captivated, too. BLINK is currently streaming on platforms including YouTube TV, Disney+, and Hulu.