Cactus

Paul Cox triumphed again with this unsentimental yet heartfelt story of blindness. What is most remarkable about the film is its refusal to sentimentalize the effect of blindness on its protagonist. A typical Hollywood treatment of the subject probably would have been too sentimental and melodramatic. Here, Cox evokes subtlety and nuance to display a myriad of emotions. It's very much a human film with a true sense of cinema. The breathtakingly static panoramic opening is the most cinematic you will ever witness, demanding the viewer's participation in equating film with art. Huppert gives her usual quality performance, aided by the familiar Australian cast Cox so often uses for his films.