Blind Love – Myles Saunders Liddicoat

I would like to acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung language group of the Eastern Kulin Nation on who’s unceded lands I created this short film. I would also like pay my respects to the Elders of this land, past, present, and emerging.

Social worker Matt is visiting his client, Callum, whose elderly Mother is dying of a deadly virus. In such a circumstance, family members may gather behind a window at the hospital, view their loved one for the last time, and say farewell. But Callum is blind. Matt’s client understands the circumstances and rules, but how do you console someone who cannot say goodbye to their Mother?

Blind Love originated from the idea of creating a blind character whose disability inhibited them from achieving a simple, and relatable, goal. Placing this character and their situation in the present day, I took inspiration from the stories of Australians who have been unable to visit their dying loved ones due to Covid-19 restrictions. From here, I developed a story around a visually impaired man who wants nothing more than to hold his dying Mother’s hand. I shot the film in my share house with the help of my roommates, using everyday items such as phone cameras and desk lamps to achieve serviceable footage.

I have not come away from this project feeling entirely satisfied. Beyond my sound issues that required me dub over the entirety of the audio, in hindsight I regret not streamlining the film’s story by reworking the exposition given in the first section into the subsequent conversation. It is this regret that has provided me with an important lesson. If adding a location does not communicate an idea or add meaning, it can be more effective for the plot to occur without the addition of that setting.