poisontaster

On first viewing, I also found most of the characters in Hysterical Blindness to be shallow, whiny, lacking in empathy, and annoyingly inane...mostly because they reminded me of people that I knew in real life. But on later reflection, I realized that characterization is exactly what makes this movie. It depicts a class of character not known for it's self-awareness, self-esteem, or depth of conversation, and does it darn well. Having seen Uma Thurman in other pieces in her more familiar persona of elegance, it was shocking how easily she could slip beneath the skin of a character so much the opposite. Both she and Juliette Lewis (who I normally can't stand) are completely believable as these women who are so circumscribed by their own hysterical blindness. The story arc itself is a short one, and lacking in the grand storytelling we've come to expect from most movies, but remembering that this piece was first a play, I understand the intimacy of it, and the somewhat abrupt resolution. Probably most dissatisfying to the viewer will be the lack of a greater resolution--there is no moment of transcendent clarity, no moment where the characters simply realize the errors of their way and correct them, but that is part of the realism that is brought to the story as well. There is no easy resolution for our blindnessess in life, only the accommodations that we come to, to accept or reject them. For myself, I would have liked to see a greater development of the actual physical blindness suffered by Uma Thurman's character...it seemed as if that part of the story was dropped for development of the metaphor of hysterical blindness, but overall, I think it was an extremely well done portrait of a type of person not often depicted in any kind of sympathetic light.

The Lexx series is the next step in (d)evolution for those of us who love and miss Dr. Who and Red Dwarf. It contains all the quintessential characters, the cowardly and low-minded everyman, the aloof and mysterious dead guy that every girl *must* have, the beautiful and fierce heroine for the guys, and the biting wit of their robot companion. Not to mention the Lexx itself, most powerful ship in the Light or Dark Universe. Although often dismissed as hoky and low-budget (and it can be both), the Lexx series has strong characterizations, good solid writing with multiple story lines that always seem to come together seamlessly at the end (and that is NOT easy), and plenty of eye candy. I highly recommend it.