Synopsis

Architect Amy Benic meets Virgil Adamson, a blind masseur, at a secluded resort and falls in love with him. Hoping to transform his life, Amy urges Virgil to undergo an experimental operation that may restore his sight. When the procedure succeeds, Virgil must learn to interpret a world he has never seen while confronting the emotional and practical consequences of his newfound vision.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was inspired by neurologist Oliver Sacks' essay "To See and Not See," published in his 1995 book An Anthropologist on Mars. The story itself was based on the real experience of Shirl Jennings.

• Oliver Sacks appears in a small credited role as a reporter during Virgil's speaking engagement.

• To prepare for the role, Val Kilmer studied with a sculptor in New Mexico who had lost his sight in Vietnam.

• The movie reunited Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis, who had previously appeared together in Top Gun (1986).

• At First Sight was released in the United States on January 15, 1999. It runs 128 minutes and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.