A fascinating and factual look at 18th century (1700s+) European life as we "look" into the life of Maria Theresia von Paradis an accomplished pianist & composer (possible connection w/Mozart) who was blind (or nearly so) at a young age; gains some vision w/the help of the famous Mesmer & his use of magnetism to affect biology. But, at a cost. Acting was superb especially the in-demand actress Maria Dragus as Paradis. Sets, props, costumes, makeup all aristocratically world class. Remarkable look at the extent people went to achieve a certain appearance from wigs to skin emollients many of which were disgusting at least and even poisonous such as lead. Not uncommon at that time because of the prevalence of skin parasites, diseases, and lost teeth. She died in 1824, and accomplished much despite the visual challenges.

Mademoiselle Paradis is the true story of blind Austrian prodigy pianist Maria Theresia Paradis (1759-1824) and her treatment under controversial doctor Franz Anton Mesmer (who believed there is an invisible aether coursing through us, that the treatment of this liquid could cure diseases, and from whom we get the terms 'mesmerize' and 'animal magnetism'). He was, it would seem, able to cure her blindness long as she was in his care.

I don't know if the film is interesting from a historical point of view or if it's only the director that makes it so. What I do know is interesting is the directing, which makes good use of lighting and contrast to illuminate the story of this blind young woman and dispel the shadows around medicine and misogyny in late 18th century Europe.

The actors and their costumes blend in perfectly with the setting, so fans of period dramas will find a lot to admire here. In short, this film is like Mesmer's liquid: no one will ever see it, but that doesn't mean it's without power.

"Mademoiselle Paradis" or "Licht" is an Austrian/German co-production that premiered back in 2017 already, but had its German wide release this week. I sm a bit surprised to see them go with the international title here as the film is in accordance with the cast almost exclusively in the German language. The big star here is Maria Dragus that is known to many for her award-winning turn in Haneke's "Das weiße Band", but with her performance here she elevates herself into the group of Germany's finest from her age group. Then again she was probably there already before "Licht". The big thing I cannot stop thinking about is really how we can be happy to live in the 20th/21st century and not in the 18th because you will see some really horrendous and despicable stuff. And regardless of what your position is towards the subject of sexism in the film industry, this film really manages an impactful statement on the subject of discrimination against women that was expressed beautifully. Well, maybe that is not the right word. Maybe "meaningfully" fits better. But while it is a very good film, it is also a very tragic work. The way one character near the end is described as sleazy and immoral for becoming pregnant by a higher class male is just sad. And her leaving the house is astragic as what happens to the protagonist at the end. These two black birds we see at the sky at some point in the second half were a brilliant metaphor. So she needs to return to her parents, the one who threw her head-on against the wall hurting her eyes once more and another whose most harmless action is saying, it had been better if she stayed blind all along.

This is also the key plot element of the film. The conflict between being able to see, but losing her talent vs. the state of being blind, but playing the piano brilliantly. It is the conflict between pleasing oneself and pleasing the others and during these days back then in that scenario, there is just one conclusion eventually. Also God and sexuality play a major role in here and I very much liked how they were included. Never too explicit or in your face, but always there ailing under the surface. The naked scene as short as it may be was another example of how the film delivers from almost every perspective. There is nothing about that moment that feels for the sake of it really, but it fits in very well as the young woman is not just exploring visually the world around her for the first time, but also herself. The lesbian references add to that too. Striesow's character is also really interesting. You could wonder to what extent he really wants to help and to what extent he has a romantic interest in the central character. I would not say that him being not as bad as almost everybody else really makes him a good guy, but it's subjective perception and up to everybody else to decide for themselves. The bizarre treatment technique, however, works not exactly in his favor, just like when he sends the pregnant maid away. The acting was really good by everybody pretty much and costumes, sets and make-up were as good as you want these to be for a period piece. The most heartbreaking moments for me were the moment she says it's all dark again from the scene I mentioned earlier and the very final shot with her returning to her disability and with us finding out later it stayed that way for the rest of her life. Yes, this film is indeed not just novel-based (by the way really love the title "Am Anfang war die Nacht Musik." (At the beginning, the night was music.) by Martin Walser's daughter Alissa),but also based on reakl events centuries ago. This should be one of the big players awards-wise in Germany during the coming months. I am not sure, but I truly hope it will be. A must-watch for everybody who loves perios pieces and a good watch for everybody else too. One of 2017's finest I highly recommend the watch.