Grim Brazilian drama opens Cannes film festival

By Mike Collett-White

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Brazilian movie "Blindness" brought apocalyptic visions of society in meltdown to Cannes on Wednesday, and the director conceded his grim take on humanity was an odd choice to open the glitzy film festival.

It was a downbeat start to 12 days of movies, interviews, publicity stunts and late-night revelry in the Riviera resort, which prides itself on championing tough cinema as much as rolling out the red carpet for Hollywood royalty.

Directed by Brazil's Fernando Meirelles, of "City of God" renown, English-language "Blindness" is an adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning writer Jose Saramago's novel of the same name, and tells the story of a plague of blindness sweeping the world.

Julianne Moore plays a doctor's wife, who, like the film's audience, is able to see the death, cruelty, degradation as well as the dignity around her, and who gradually becomes aware of the responsibility her unique position brings.

"We consider ourselves so strong and sophisticated and solid, and then one thing goes and everything collapses," Meirelles told reporters after a press screening.

"We are skating on thin ice. Anything can happen and everything does."

The movie officially premieres in the evening.

He and scriptwriter Don McKellar were inspired by how the novel appeared to reflect real-life natural disasters, disease and our growing concerns over food security.