They're certainly out there, but there are relatively few movies in the world that center disabled individuals as protagonists, let alone movies that aim to provide some measure of perspective on a given condition. It's not for me to judge how fully successful filmmaker Teemu Nikki was in this capacity, or how delicate and mindful, but the effort is absolutely to be commended nonetheless, and to the same end it's well worth observing that star Petri Poikolainen is himself afflicted with the same conditions as protagonist Jaakko. In both his writing and direction Nikki strives to zero in on the experience of a man who is blind and relies on a wheelchair as a mobility aid, and the small details that are woven into the picture in various ways are very gratifying. The camera is tightly focused on Jaakko at all times, speaking to the smallness and isolation of his world, yet even at that Sari Aaltonen's cinematography is unexpectedly smart, thoughtful, and even dynamic - and in turn, deeply immersive. Carefully plotted audio clues us in to what Jaakko overhears other people saying about him, and speaks to the screen readers and audio devices upon which the visually impaired rely; minutiae in the scene writing further elucidates both how the protagonist gets by, and how rich his life is even with severe and increasing limitations. Most every fundamental choice in 'The blind man who did not want to see Titanic' is geared toward fostering, as much as an audiovisual medium can, understanding of Jaakko, and in turn the disabled in real life, and in Nikki's sagacity that even includes limiting what we as an audience can perceive in the film.
Going further still with the same guiding ethos, the narrative is more or less split into two parts, one a romantic comedy-drama, and the other a drama-thriller. There is welcome wry wit in the former portion, earning some definite laughs, while the latter offers meaningful tension and suspense, and all the while the telling is wonderfully earnest as Nikki looks at not just how Jaakko lives daily, but also how he navigates difficult, exigent circumstances. It is a bit of a tonal shift, certainly, yet the feature is so strongly centered that it feels natural, avoiding the pitfall that other filmmakers have fallen into of turning hard from one mood to another. Through it all Poikolainen gives a tremendous performance, bringing his very personal, very realistic character to vibrant emotional life. The scene writing is rich and potent, characters are carefully considered, and even the dialogue is very real and believable, and marked with swell personality. While the music takes a backseat here it adds fantastic flavor where it does come into play, and everything from the editing to sound direction is superb. In every way the title is splendidly well made - and the fact that it's so sharply written and directed, with such an admirable core, is marvelously refreshing. I assumed I would enjoy this, yet I'm completely taken with just how excellent it is from top to bottom, and I find myself surprised that it hasn't gotten more attention, and that was kind of only by chance that I came across it. 'The blind man who did not want to see Titanic' deserves much more recognition as far as I'm concerned, for every reason, and in mind it's well worth seeking out.
