Screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, “All I See Is You,” directed by Marc Forster, depicts the disintegration of a couple’s relationship, instigated by betrayal and biting reality. In stark contrast to his last film “World War Z,” Forster brings back his indie sensitivity in “All I See Is You” and exhibits the life of a woman who gets her vision back by receiving a corneal implant.

Blinded as a child in a car accident, Gina (Blake Lively) lives with her husband James (Jason Clarke) in Bangkok, Thailand. Because of her disability, Gina relies heavily on him to be her eyes. To James, Gina is a perfect wife: subservient and lovely. However, their lives face a big transition when Gina undergoes a complex operation, which restores sight to her right eye. Now, Gina’s life is no longer restricted to only what James tells her. She comes to realize that things do not look like what she had in mind — her husband is not as handsome as she imagined and their apartment does not feel welcoming. Sensing this change, James becomes very anxious and insecure. He makes an effort to save his relationship with Gina by traveling to Spain, their honeymoon venue, and then visiting Barcelona, where Gina’s sister Carol (Ahna O’Reilly) and her husband Ramon (Miguel Fernandez) live.

Back in Bangkok, Gina continues to explore her new freedom by dyeing her hair blonde and dressing provocatively, which seems to frustrate James. She also finds herself attracted to Daniel (Wes Chatham), a friend she meets at the pool where she regularly exercises. However, the couple’s breakdown initiates when Gina starts to lose her sight again. The doctor ensures that the surgery was a success, but it is actually her eye drops that are causing problems. The viewer’s mind is invaded by a dark thought: did James tamper with the eye drops to make Gina subservient again?

Distinct from other films similarly dealing with blind characters, “All I See Is You” illustrates the blind character’s perspective. It may appear slightly dizzy and disorganized, but as the film progresses, it is something to be appreciated.  

In a film, the significance of the setting normally cannot be emphasized enough. However, the setting of “All I See Is You,” Thailand, has mere relevance to the story. There are barely any Thai people shown — the characters, major and minor, are all Americans. The scene where Gina tries to learn the Thai language through listening to an audio seems out of place and fails to connect to the importance of the setting. In another detraction from the film’s otherwise compelling story, Forster uses sex as a mechanism to further the plot. Though riddled with unnecessary sex scenes, “All I See Is You” is a thrilling film about the tensions of a relationship plagued by a childhood accident.

“All I See is You” opens in select theaters nationwide on Friday, Oct. 27.

Email Woojung Kim at [email protected].