BLINK-Family's Year of World Travel Prior to Childrens' Looming Blindness

The family/travel doc. focuses on a Canadian family who learn three of their four adolescent children have inherited a genetic disorder that affects their corneas leading to blindness. This devastating news is met with pragmatism by the parents. "What's hardest for parents is letting go. That is what parents do throughout their children's lives. There's nothing that can be done. There's no treatment, no cure." The best advice the mom, the key spokesperson received, "was to give them as much visual references to store in their memories." Taking this to heart, the couple decided to travel the globe for a year with their children and "fill their visual memory with as much beautiful things as we can." Mia is the oldest at 11 with 3 younger brothers, Laurent, 4, being the youngest. Only the eldest son will maintain his vision. Before departing, the family compiled a "bucket list" of what they wanted to experience. The couple explained how they could afford such a journey on their budgeted $200/day. However, the film was produced by National Geographic which mitigated the integrity of its imposed frugality and explains its breathtaking cinematography. My only other nitpick would be the intermittent scoring that detoured from a natural family travel log. Nevertheless, the essence is the family unit which remained a tight knit group who cared for one another. The boys continuously tussled with each other. "They're a pack of wild wolves," the mother lovingly described them. The animated maps and drawings crisscrossing the globe added the right, light touch. The selected list designations were delightful, each member was granted a few choices. Laurent received his chance to "drink juice while riding a camel." "See a sunrise on a mountain. Make friends in other countries." Dad got the family on an extended hike in the Himalayas with its wonders and hardships. One harrowing night, the family spent in a swaying gondola during a storm. "We're all together, we'll be fine," the mom reassured them. The family bonds grew stronger and individual growths are noted. One son when asked how he changed said, "I know I've changed but it's hard to explain what's changed. Knowing their sights were shrinking,  the film was tinged in melancholy, "The first to go was the stars. Darkness renders them totally blind." Mia said, "I feel as though I'm in a void. I need to be touching something to reduce my fears." In the Amazon forest the parents join the pre-dawn ritual of sharing dreams which are given credence. With an interpreter, the mom shares her dream of her son being burned. A tribe woman empathized saying, "I know, my father is ill. What can you do but accept it." Overall, this is a wondrous, travel log of a close clan providing one another memories of the world to cherish while proffering love and security within the home. The film inspired me to compile a bucket list while feeling grateful for the beauty found in every sunrise and sunset.