SETTING
Blind Panic is set in the suburbs during a heatwave. The mundane tranquillity of suburbia belies the secrets behind closed doors. A woman, maimed during a brutal crime, on one side of the street. A desperate man in a halfway house, who knows he’s a sitting duck, on the other. The sweltering heat heightens the discomfort.
It’s 1992 and ankle bracelets are a relatively new way of ensuring somebody stays put. Louis is being monitored by a sweaty and shady probation officer on bulky, grey desktop computers. Phones are landlines, cars are gas guzzling, and people still smoke.
Louis is being hunted by the sociopathic Prescott. Does he stay put in the halfway house? Or make a run for it? Plans go awry when Madeleine walks blindly into the maelstrom.
While filmed in New Zealand, Mark and Matthew wrote Blind Panic as if it has no boundaries – it could take place on any street, in any suburb, in any town.
CHARACTERS AND THEMES
Blind Panic lulls you into thinking you’re watching a suburban drama between two characters who are both trapped by their own circumstances. It delves into themes of guilt, power, and survival, and in particular the inner strength Madeleine finds to get herself out of a horrifying situation.
There is sexual tension between Louis and the unsuspecting Madeleine who doesn’t know about Louis’ secret past nor his present danger.
The film takes a sharp turn into crime thriller territory, while Louis and Madeleine struggle with the decisions they have made. Outside forces only complicate matters as the story roller coasters to a climax.
Madeleine is a strong, female protagonist – gutsy in the face of her newly acquired disability and ultimately making a choice to face her tormentor, head on.
Although a villain, Louis has a roguish charm and regrets the errors of his ways. We are privy to the remorse and fear he feels for his missing wife. His relationship with Madeleine – which morphs from flirtatious, to desperate enemies, to allies – explores themes of redemption and forgiveness.
Honour among thieves – Louis and Jules are mates but even mates draw a line. The plot is full of double-crossings, debts and revenge for edge-of-the-seat tension.
Although Blind Panic is packed with tension and violence, it’s also punctuated with naturalistic moments of humour in the quirky personalities of the sleazy probation officer and his stupid minion, and the comradely banter between Louis and his fellow con, Jules.
STYLE
Blind Panic utilises the unease of a sensory vulnerability (Madeleine’s blindness) to heighten the sense of danger and suspense in the style of Wait Until Dark (starring Audrey Hepburn) and See No Evil (starring Mia Farrow).
The film is also influenced by the many crime flicks Mark and Matthew watched together, like The Friends of Eddie Coyle and Straight Time, and thrillers with confined settings such as The Collector.