“Blink” documentary follows a Montreal family as their children’s sight fades to black

“Don’t lose sight of what matters.” That’s the message of “Blink”, the new National Geographic documentary about a Montreal family, where three out of the four children have been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa causing them to lose their vision.

Confronted with this life-changing news, Edith Lemay, Sébastien Pelletier and their children set out on a trip around the world to experience all its beauty while they still can.

“One thing that that got us or kept us going on on social media and the media in general is that the feedback we got was so positive. We got so much positive feedback on It’s great you’re telling your story because it got me, I got cancer and now I’m going to go and do something and it doesn’t have to be travel,” said Pelletier.

“We chose to travel the world, but everybody can do it in its own way and and it’s just a message of, with a bad situation, there’s always positive and focus on that one.”

Lemay adding, “So many people tell me, after the pandemic, I feel people needed something, a beautiful story, and they thanked us so much for sharing it, to have a beautiful film with like something positive to keep like that gets out of the movie. We’re so glad how it turned out and we’re so glad to share it with the world.

“We thought we would go on the trip seeing beautiful thing with our eyes, but I think the people we met and the relationship that we had with people all over the world. That’s the most beautiful thing and that’s really what made the experience more meaningful.”

A story about resilience, life’s beauty, but most importantly, how can one deal with the unknown.

“Obviously this is incredibly inspiring story of resilience and of a family treating the unknown future with a kind of strength and emotional fortitude. But I think what spoke to me most was how emotionally open Edith and Seb were about this future that was in front of them,” said Edmund Stenson, co-directorr of “Blink”.

The National Geographic team partnered with Montreal-based talents, such as the cinema production Eye Steel Film, along with the director of photography Sebastien Francoeur and the editor Ryan Mullins.

“It was like having friend coming to visit us. It was relatable that director of photography is from Montreal and and speaks French and lives in Montreal. So it felt more like friends and family,” said Pelletier.

“This was a film that really tried to respect Quebec as a province and as a place and as a specific cultural experience. And it was so important for us to do that, because of how close we were to Edith and Seb, how important that was to us,” said Stenson.

Stenson added that he was attached to the story was that he along with his co-director were able to tell an authentic story of the family while they were on their journey of the diagnosis.

“What touched me the most was how they were processing it in real-time as we talked to them and as we met them,” said Stenson.

During the trip, Edith Lemay was responsible for the luggage, schooling, meals, and social media. She is rarely seen in photos because she was always behind the camera and published the book “Plein Leurs Yeux” in French, about their adventure.

“Writing is not like writing a book was probably the last thing I would plan to do in my life,” said Lemay. “I’m so glad I did because, you know, my story has been told by the media, it’s been told in the movie, but that’s my voice and my way of telling my story. And it’s a beautiful way for me to give that to my kids.”

Don’t miss “Blink,” coming to theaters on October 4.