Black Sun

This film about the cruel poetry and reality of darkness begins in the spring of 1978 when the French artist and filmmaker Hugues de Montalembert is attacked by two thieves and blinded by acid. After losing his sight, he has to learn how to live in the light and ubiquitous undefined visual impulses, which border on dreamlike imaginings. In his quest for balance and his effort to become reconciled with his injury and newfound solitude, he extricates himself from his previous routines and begins to travel. He learns to see things in a different way and begins to fight against social prejudices. This documentary is an impressive portrayal of a person's inner feelings after the loss of the basic certainties that guided him in the world and in his work. It is a personal meditation on how it is possible to cope with a radical change in one's life. It also warns against wallowing in unproductive misery. The power of the film is also underlined by the way it is put together, which convincingly records the artistic canvas of a blind person's perceptions and demonstrates how visual art can depict internal and intimate human realms.