Black Sun

What’s it like to be struck blind? French artist Hugues de Montalembert discovered for himself in horrifying circumstances in 1978 when burglars raiding his New York apartment threw paint remover into his eyes and ended his sight forever. His narration holds together this ambitious documentary portrait, since director-composer Tarn’s associative imagery (teeming humanity, exotic travel) and slightly soporific Glass-influenced score rather soften the emotional intensity of de Montalembert’s testimony. Nonetheless, his story of remarkable forbearance and creative curiosity captures the essential worth of a human experience very different from our own.