Great movie! I am glad to watch a movie like “Black”. It focused on Michelle McNally, a blind, deaf and mute girl, and her relationship with her teacher (Debraj Sahai) who himself later suffers from Alzheimer's disease. In large part of the film is an adaptation of Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.Michelle was a girl who lost her eyesight and hearing a few months after birth and exists in a black world where she is isolated in the darkness of her own existence, and trapped by her inability to see, hear and express. She grows up becoming more and more frustrated by the black and dark world around her, making her a wild, uncontrollable child. Her parents are frustrating to control her, until one day the light shines through the end of the tunnel.
Debraj Sahai enters this family lives, a teacher for the deaf and blind. Debraj sees himself as a magician. He takes it upon himself to bring young Michelle into the light. He uses rough methods, although always for Michelle's goodness. Initially, Michelle’s father are not agreeing with his methods and asking Debraj to leave. Although her father thinks he is gone, Debraj stays as the teacher while her father is away on business for 20 days.
By the 20th day, Debraj still has difficulty teaching Michelle the meaning of words. When Michelle's father returns, Debraj packs his bags. At the very last moment, Debraj gets frustrated with Michelle's continuing disrespectful behavior and he throws her into a fountain full of water. Michelle suddenly takes to Debraj's lessons at that moment and begins to understand meaning. She is able to recognize her mother and father, and can articulate the first syllables of some words. The McNallys decide to keep Debraj as Michelle's teacher.The film was ended by the story how Michelle finally gets her degree (Bachelor of Arts) 20 years after her enrollment with full of efforts. We can also see later how she becomes Debraj’s teacher who is beginning to learn to speak and understand. The movie ends on a hopeful note as Michelle who was originally the student now becomes Debraj's teacher.
I learned that as a teacher, we are not the perfect one. We just had privilege from God to enter children lives. We become a part of child’s life and a story in their lives. Even though we will face difficulties, problems, harsh situations, it’s our delight to see them someday become a child who pleasing God and working as God’s instruments. Just like the title of the movie, Black, we may start to enter child’s lives on the blackness, but we believe that God, who is light, will give all of us (as a teacher or student) His spirit to see and hear Him as our Greatest Teacher ever.
*Pictures are taken from various sources.
