Watch

From the outset, the film immerses us in invigorating images of gigantic waves and enormous rollers crashing down in deafening noise. The ocean overwhelms us with its beauty and draws us to the Atlantic coast, a surfing paradise where life is good. Milo, a 16-year-old boy, is getting ready to go on vacation to the Basque coast, but it's not so easy: no one can accompany him, as his parents are once again busy bickering since their divorce. It is Chris, his mother, who sacrifices herself to go with him to Montparnasse station.

By pure chance, she realizes in the subway that her son is having trouble reading the station names and that he has been complaining of blurred vision for some time. As a precaution, a quick visit to a specialist is in order, and unfortunately, the verdict is in: it is a degenerative eye disease that will inevitably lead to total blindness.  From that moment on, the family's world falls apart and dark clouds gather on the horizon.

The parents are faced with a dilemma: should Milo go on vacation as planned or should he undergo medical tests? Antoine and especially Chris don't hesitate and decide to give their son an immediate and unforgettable vacation. The beauty of the natural and omnipresent scenery counterbalances the teenager's melancholy and despair in the face of his uncertain future. The roaring ocean lulls us, and the coastal houses, like that of Milo's beloved grandfather, are a showcase of beauty and an invitation to happiness and to forget one's troubles.
This somewhat lost, adrift couple does their best to cope with the situation, surrounded by their friends. One particular sequence gives the film its dynamism: we find them in a bar, sipping strong alcohol. A song catches their attention, “Psycho Killer,” which electrifies them and awakens them from their torpor, reminding them of good memories. It is an invigorating, pleasant moment, charged with emotion, which the viewer is naturally invited to share.

In this idyllic setting, the director seems to make us forget Milo's illness and the trials that await him. A school, the INJA (Institut des Jeunes Aveugles, or Institute for Young Blind People), is ready to welcome him and help him on his journey, particularly in learning Braille and moving around in space. We learn about this institution in the first few minutes of the film, but it is only a brief overview, which is a shame. However, it is undoubtedly the intention of director Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud to make us forget the dramatic situation in which the family finds itself and focus instead on the happy moments of the vacation, with images filling our minds.

The two main actors, Audrey Fleurot and Dany Boon, in the roles of the parents, live up to the ambition of this feature film, at once uncompromising, clumsy, but also madly in love with their son, which is evident in their attitudes throughout the film. As for Ewan Bourdelles in the role of young Mino, he is simply remarkable in his freshness, accuracy, depth, but sometimes also in his rebellion against his illness. Nicolas Marié is also excellent in the role of Papychou, the grumpy but big-hearted grandfather.

Watch is both a serious film about the subject of blindness and how blind people are perceived, but also a perspective that evolves as the film progresses, becoming more optimistic, comforting, and filled with hope, supported and enhanced by magnificent photographs of the ocean.

Watch
Directed by Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud
Written by Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud, Jean-André Yerles, Julien Rigoulot
Produced by Laetitia Galitzine, Nathalie Toulza Madar, Émilie Pégurier
Starring Audrey Fleurot, Dany Boon, Ewan Bourdelles, Nicolas Marié, Camille Solal, Amalia Blasco, Thomas VDB
Cinematography: Nicolas Gaurin
Edited by Grégoire Sivan
Music by Julien Glabs
Production companies: Chapka Films, TF1 Studio
Distributed by SND Distribution (France)
Release date: September 17, 2025 (France)
Running time: 91 minutes

Seen on August 22, 2025 at Club Marbeuf

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