Last weekend, my husband and I were sitting outside in the evening, enjoying a fireside chat. The sky was so clear, and you could see every single star in the sky. In that moment, we knew what we were both thinking of. I had recently pre-screened the new National Geographic documentary of the Pelletier family called Blink. Toward the beginning of the film, Edith and Sébastien explain that three out of their four children are not able to see the stars in the sky. It was one of the first signs that their children had a visual impairment.
National Geographic has created a documentary of this family of six exploring the work through travel over a one-year period. When Edith and Sebastien realized their children would be losing their sight, they wanted to fill their visual memory with as much as they could. This led to the idea of traveling for a full year to see things and create amazing experiences that would last them a lifetime.
Here is the trailer of the film that is set to be released in select theaters on October 4th:
When Walt Disney Studios Canada invited me to speak with Edith and Sébastien, I jumped at the idea. Not only was this beautiful family from my hometown of Montreal, but they were a family that understood what it meant to take children on a travel experience and go all in. It is clear from this interview, that Edith and Sébastien have a great connection and a deep understanding of parenting together. We shared some laughs about travel, and how it can sometimes be easier than all the singular activities for all the kids.
The couple took the diagnosis of their children’s vision head on and decided to expand their visual repertoire with a global experience. The documentary’s directors, Daniel Roher and Edmund Stenson wanted to not just tell a story of travel with visual wonder, they also wanted to share a universal story in parenting, in spite of a very specific diagnosis.
“Ultimately, we wanted to make a documentary that was more universal than one family’s diagnosis. Yes, retinitis pigmentosa was the catalyst, but every parent and every child must say goodbye to those whom they love; every one of us must accept what we cannot control. Every one of us must choose how we want to face the onrushing future because what it will entail and demand of us is an unknown quantity with which we must all learn to live.” – Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher.
The children, Mia, Léo, Colin and Laurent were a delight to watch on screen. Their individual personalities really came through in the film, and their questions, comments and reactions were real, and raw. As parents that travel with young children know, it can be very challenging at times to make sure everyone is having a good time. There can be issues with weather, modes of transport, cultural shocks, foods that are too different to stomach…which is the reason why some parents choose to wait on traveling.
Mia, Léo, Colin, and Laurent Pelletier pose on top of their camper van in front of a double rainbow while in Mongolia.(Credit: Edith Lemay)
My husband and I have travelled with our twins and oldest son since they were very little. And as many travel parents will explain, it is for the family, for the children and for you as a parent. The experience of travel gives you back so much – it rewards you with memories to last a lifetime.
Many rebut this by saying young children will not remember everything. And while this is true, I have always believed that the travel experiences hand our children a gift that can only be given through the activity of travelling. This gift is not just a visual, or a specific activity, it is a feeling. That feeling lasts forever, and it can be embedded into their core. Edith Lemay took this knowledge and understanding that much further and wrote a book called Plein Leurs Yeux (fill their eyes). The book is a detailed account of their travels with more words than photographs, and it just launched at the same time as launching the documentary.
Congratulations to Edith, Sébastien, Mia, Léo, Colin and Laurent for this wonderful film. And a big thank you to National Geographic Documentary Films and Walt Disney Studios for this opportunity.
Check your local theater listings for October 4th showing times.
To learn more about Blink, visit www.natgeodocs.com
And to follow the Pelletier family, visit them on IG @pleinleursyeux