Blink

Approached this with a slightly heavy heart the moment I realized it's a documentary based on a real family and their lives.

Talking about fictional stories inspired by reality is one thing - but this right here is a lot tougher. Because you're witnessing something you'd never want to imagine for yourself, yet real people out there have actually experienced it and have strived through it with unimaginable strength.

It's a tale of parental love and family bonding - a happy family whose world comes crashing down when they find out that three of their kids are diagnosed with a serious illness.

But the parents make it their mission to give them an experience of a lifetime, fulfilling even the smallest of their dreams.

It beautifully highlights just how far our parents can go to see us happy - even in the most challenging times - while also living parts of their own dreams through us.

It's emotional, gut-wrenchingly painful, yet incredibly inspiring. And somehow, it also carries a warm, feel-good vibe - especially when you look at the kids, always excited, always smiling. It fills your heart with so much joy.

Even when they're on the verge of losing something so precious, they carry a brave spirit. And the way they hold on to their childlike innocence while developing their own kind of maturity - it's truly heartwarming to see.

A huge testament to their strength, and to the importance of having each other's back no matter what.

Left me teary-eyed, but with a smile on my face.

Definitely urge as many people as possible to watch this heartfelt, memorable tale of love, family, and adventure.

Now streaming on JioHotstar.

With three of their young family on a declining spiral of sight loss, the Pelletier's decide to try to take something positive from the time they have left together when they can all see and visit some of the most impressive, interesting, colourful and exciting places on Earth. For the next eighty minutes or so, we follow their adventure as they take to the water and to the skies, appreciate some of the greatest natural phenomena, and probably most importantly - they have fun as a family who all know that things will soon be much less enjoyable and care-free. The parents - Édith Lemay and Sébastian Pelletier carry out quite a juggling act as they strive to create an ordinary, unexceptional environment for their youngsters whilst always conscious of what travails are yet to come. Clearly, money doesn't seem to be an issue here, and so Mia, Léo, Colin and Laurent can embark on their travelogue enthusiastically - and at times that zeal for life and for each other proves a powerful fillip for all, including us. The photography is artfully delivered showcasing some of the astonishing features that grace this world, and the conversation is restricted to snippets of chat rather than any more formal narration, and I thought that worked well - even if, at times, I felt a little like an eavesdropper. Obviously not everyone has the resources to react to an upcoming trauma as these people did, but it's not really the scale of their Phileas Fogg-ness that stands out, it's the fact that as a family, and a largely aware one at that, they manage to navigate their trip - tantrums and all - in a fashion that provides hope for a future that will be different, but will also be peppered with memories they will never forget and that will be built on pretty solid familial foundations.

Powerful stuff! If a film presentation can be heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time (and why couldn't one be, now that I reconsider?) this fascinating 83 minutes on Hulu is it.

The brilliantly titled "Blink" (do it too often in life and you'll miss it), this French Canadian true-story documents the agonizing yet amazingly-generous gift from two parents to their four children, three of whom are quickly losing their sense of sight. As they travel to various locations on our planet (while we tag along), they attempt to give those kids visual memories to carry with them after their eyes can no longer do that job.

As painfully-sad as that sounds, there is a undeniable sense of positivity and fortitude here. Amongst the gorgeous scenery, brilliant and emotional scoring, and insightful-without-being-invasive cinematography we see a growth of strength and acceptance develop in the children. As a father, it was the strength of the parents that especially impressed me. I would've been a blubbering pile of goo in a corner somewhere, but these two stayed the course, always worked as a cohesive team, gave every ounce of determination they had, and loved their children at a level not many could achieve during an ordeal like this.

PS - Bring Kleenex.

I'm not sure if it was way the family was portrayed, or the lack of actual scenic footage, this movie did not appeal to me.

We learn about a family and that 3 of 4 children has a degenerative vision disease that will eventually rob them of their eyesight, so the parents decide to go on a journey around the world so the kids can enjoy everything in person, rather than looking at it in a book.

While the concept of this movie is appealing, the execution wasn't so great. The trailer made you expect spectacular scenery throughout, but instead we are mainly watching the kids and parents talking and playing. It essentially comes across as a home movie rather than a National Geographic production. A lot of the places they apparently visited, are glossed over, not even shown in photos.

I want to wish the family well, and I hope the proceeds of this film go towards the research for a cure, but definitely this was more suited to the small screen like on the TLC channel, than in a movie theatre.

I travelled the world for a year with my son when he was 3 months old. I travelled the world with him since then and met a few other families that travel with their children and sometimes home school them. I think it is the best gift and education to give them. When we see the beauty and diversity of the world we learn to be happy with less. We learn to see less differences and divisions. We also remember our role, our mortality and the smallness of our local thinking.

This film explores these themes including the fear of losing our sight from illness. 3 out of 4 kids are already losing their sight and cannot see stars or well at all at night. This National Geographic doc explores the world with stunning footage from Egypt, Ecuador and Nepal among others. More importantly, it exposes the family dilemmas and joys. Their quest to live a bucket list now and not wait until it is too late. A reminder we should all have.

The editing and storytelling are superb and many intimate scenes bring these profound questions to light with lightheartedness. How to accept the difficult. How to accept illness (and even death) with courage, kindness and love.

A beautiful scene in a dessert sunset has the mom and daughter on a sand dune try to imagine traveling with no sight. Can we still connect with our other senses and with different people and cultures? Surely, yes. There is this constant hope and beauty in face of despair.

A tribe in the amazon gives advice to accept life as it. Easier said than done. The dad reflects on how to let go of fear. Children play together and make new friends. No one wants to go home from this wondrous voyage. But will the awe transcend and stay after the tumultuous travel time?

Back in my native Montreal, Canada, they reconnect with family and start school again. One kid mentions that being home is simply another voyage. The journey continues and the growth is constant. As adults we have to stay playful and open to possibilities. This film reminds us of so many reasons to be grateful to be simply alive. Awesome!

More films like this should be made. It reminded me both why I travel and why I live with awe, wonder and gratitude in any circumstance. Very courageous and enlightening project to share with the world.

Bravo!