Let's be realistic.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This movie is based upon the book of the 19th Century Russian writer - Korolenko. I found it to be very inspiring and well acted. Imagine: a blind boy born into an upper class aristocratic family in 19th Century Russian Empire ( actually the place is in Ukraine) . He is under constant control of his overbearing and protective mother. Basically a very empty life, then he meets a little girl, who forces him to rethink his life and introduce him to music. The music becomes his outlet and his foundation in live. As time goes by, he realizes that still has a lot of limitation due to his blindness. Now comes his uncle - a crippled man, but a man of high spirit. He is a former freedom fighter with Italian Garibaldi, who challenges our boy ( and young man now) to leave his comfy life and go travel with a band of blind musicians to understand the true nature of life. Our man experiences the same hardship as his blind companions ( hunger, bad weather, beating from local police), yet after his return home, not only he a better musician, but he able now to compose wonderful music. I think it is a great shame, this movie was never shown outside Russia, and in my opinion it is classical. If you can understand Russian, and you can find it, do see it.