Blind Spot

Description

The film is a very British dark comedy, that’s whimsical, bittersweet, frustrating and ultimately very satisfying. The film follows two converging storylines of the hooded and bound kidnapped man as he clumsily attempts to make it home (after falling from the car’s faulty boot), while the kidnappers go to comedic lengths to do all they can to retrieve him. The film is the epitome of show don’t tell, especially regarding the central character, whom doesn’t have any dialogue, and whose comedy is largely physical and slapstick as he traverses the open countryside, where the only other person he meets is a drunken rambler mistaking him for a talking scarecrow. Alongside this, the heavy use of witty and sarcastic dialogue by the kidnappers (whose incompetence and disorganisation are a large source of comedy) compliments the different qualities of the kidnapped man’s journey. Alongside this, narratively God’s plan is visualised through the subtle foreshadowing of the two parties’ inevitable reunion, having them continuously traverse their environment in converging directions across the screen. Alongside this, and the film’s symbolic representation of life and death, ideas of the remote British countryside, and its relationship with the urban environment are explored largely for comedic effect.

Biblical Connection

The film is adapted from 2 Corinthians 5:7, ‘we live by faith, not by sight’, of which I embraced the variety of interpretations and translations. The most prominent being the eternal happiness awaiting the apostles in heaven after dying in a difficult world. This is represented through the victim’s walk home being symbolic of a life’s journey. Starting by falling into the world, unable to walk, traversing challenging situations, before wearily submitting. The King James translation reinforces this, substituting ‘live’ for ‘walk’, as, like the Bible, the film also metaphorizes life as a walk. Alternatively, it refers to having faith in God’s plan, regardless of current circumstances. Therefore, him comedically climbing into the boot can be interpreted both as a metaphorical death, or him simply placing his faith in God’s hands. This idea is structurally integral to the film through the subtle foreshadowing of his destined recapture. The verse is most explicitly represented through the central character’s lack of literal sight, because he’s got a bag on his head, forcing him to depend on blind faith to evade recapture. These representations preserve both ambiguity and the emotional weight, without bias or detraction from the film’s inherently comedic premise.