Flying Blind review

Forty-something Frankie (McCrory) is in complete control of her life. She works in the aerospace industry for the military, has never married and her closest friend is her father. Yet her life changes when she falls for the charms of French/Algerian aerospace student Kahil (Oudghiri), and they embark on a passionate affair. One day at work Frankie is detained by security and is told her boyfriend is a person of interest to MI5. Suspicion and prejudice soon make her life start to unravel, and she increasingly finds it difficult to know whether to follow her heart or her head.

Flying Blind is the feature film debut from Polish director Klimkiewicz, having previous made a couple of short films. Here she takes the issue of prejudice and fear set around the issue of terror suspects, which rings truer by each passing day. It’s the first hour that draws all the attention via the sexual liaisons between the two leads, these are some of the steamiest scenes on film for quite a while and it’s all very erotically charged. You completely believe that Frankie has been caught up in a whirlwind and this is the “one” for her. But once the person of interest angle hits, the film doesn’t find it footing and stagnates on the paranoia and profiling that occurs from Frankie. Her life twists and turns constantly but this part of the film feels very off-handed and clunky, right down to the ending that doesn’t really accomplish anything.

Oudghiri plays Kahil with a creeping intensity that makes you question his motives, yet it’s McCrory who shines here. Her character moving from vulnerable to sexual predator to confusion with convincing aplomb. Flying Blind does have a valid point to say about modern day prejudices, but it seems to get lost in the muddy final third.

• Flying Blind at IMDb