THE BLIND

THE BLIND refers to a duck blind where his friend, Al, and Phil Robertson are hunting. Al asks Phil to tell him how he turned around his life, so the movie is basically an illustration of Phil’s Christian testimony.
The movie goes from 1985 when Phil and Al are talking back to 1958 when Phil is a little boy. His father worked in the oil fields, away from home for long periods of time. As a young boy, Phil goes out hunting and fishing to bring food home for his family. Phil’s mother has psychotic experiences where she just gets angry at everything and is hauled off by police several times. Phil’s only blessing is Kay, whom he thinks comes from a very rich family because they own the general store. Everybody except Kay looks down on Phil and his sister and brother as poor white trash living in the swamps.
Kay and Phil know in high school that they’re destined for each other. Phil is the Number One football player at his high school and gets a college football scholarship. However, he gives it all up after being married to Kay. His vision of happiness is living in the swamp, where they now live. Soon they have three boys. Phil’s friend, Al, gets him a job as a substitute teacher and working at a bar.
Drinking with Al at the bar and on fishing and hunting trips creates a downward spiral. Phil resigns the substitute teaching and decides to buy a bar, where he continues to drink, and even consort with other women. Kay makes the commitment that she wants to fight for the marriage. Phil’s sister sends the local pastor to talk to him in the bar, but Phil is very rude to him, threatening violence.
[SPOILERS FOLLOW] Eventually, Kay gets fed up, and Phil kicks her and their three sons out of the house. Phil moves into a filthy RV in the swamp. The pastor provides Kay and the boys with a nice house that they have for the poor right across from the church. Kay starts providing for her family.
Phil reaches rock bottom and crashes his truck into a tree. He goes to Kay, and she says she won’t take him back unless he changes. The pastor visits Phil and leads him to Christ. With Kay and the boys watching, Phil gets baptized in the swamp. His life transforms radically, and we all now the rest of the story of DUCK DYNASTY, the duck calls and the multimillion dollar hunting company that Phil started and his son, Willie, runs.
In some ways THE BLIND is a very good movie as a testimony. That said, its construction doesn’t follow all the rules of filmmaking, so it may not win a big audience. The movie is propelled by the jeopardy, and vice and drinking, while narration tells us where it’s going, and flashbacks show where it started. Even so, it could be a good testimony for many people. However, THE BLIND is definitely a rough movie, and MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution, especially for children and young teenagers.