Director Andrew Hyatt’s biopic draws on the childhood and youth of American entrepreneur of the Duck Commander company and the “Duck Dynasty” TV-series fame Phil Robertson.
Set in 1960s’ and 1970s’ Louisiana, this faith-based film dramatizes the story of the real-life Robertson’s early life, first as a college football player with promise, then as a teacher-turned professional duck-hunter. It tells of his troubled marriage to his high school sweetheart, Kay, and how their humble, courageous reliance on God helped them beat his alcoholism. Click here for plot summary, cast, reviews, and ratings.
Phil Robertson (Matthew Erick White) and Kay (Brielle Robillard) are high school sweethearts, in "The Blind." Fathom Films
Hyatt uses Robertson’s stubborn pursuit of ducks and duck-hunting to illustrate his escape from the challenges of adult life, marriage, and fatherhood. His drunken flight from himself turns out to be a flight from God. Perhaps God is asking that Robertson stop his blind self-indulgence and take responsibility for himself and others in his care.
In hunting lingo, his inner shotgun just couldn’t dampen recoil, was too hard on the shoulder, took too long to load or reload, and malfunctioned or misfired at the slightest presence of water or mud in the barrel. He was a metaphorical hunter aiming for the freedom and fulfillment he wanted out of life. Symbolically, the blind, used to conceal hunters when duck hunting, turned out to be hopeless at concealing his presence from God.
Phil Robertson (Matthew Erick White) conceals himself in a duck blind, in "The Blind" Fathom Films
Hunting isn’t a new artistic symbol for God’s loving pursuit of those fleeing the meaning of freedom: responsibility. Decades before Robertson’s flight from God, English poet Francis Thompson’s celebrated poem “The Hound of Heaven,” portrayed God’s compassionate pursuit of those he loves, to help them find their real selves.
Like Thompson, Robertson fell into addiction and vagrancy, and felt a failure. Robertson sighs to the pastor who’s sent to talk sense into him: “Everything I ever touch is goin’ to hell.” Unlike Thompson, Robertson recovered before disease destroyed him. He found God’s solace and strength in Kay who stayed steadfast and forgave him. Turns out, there was a lot to forgive.
Forgiveness
Robertson excuses his casual drinking; after all, it’s only to celebrate happy occasions with his buddy Big Al. Soon, drinking is the celebration, and it’s far from casual. He’s unhappy unless he’s drinking; any excuse will do, happy or sad. And heaven help those standing in his way. He imagines that drinking grants him freedom from his worries. Later, he admits, it only made him forget them.
Thanks to the patience and persistence of Robertson’s sister Jan and his wife, Kay, he accepts the pastor’s guidance. To have another shot at life, he must die to himself and be born anew. That’s more than a symbolic baptismal dunking in water. It’s closer to an overhaul of his belief system.
When his father used to head out to work, he’d meaningfully ask the boy Robertson, “Who’s a man?” The lad would answer, “I’m a man,” without knowing what it meant. In time, Robertson sees that manliness lies in being faithful to his wife and shouldering the responsibility of fatherhood. Change doesn’t come cheap. He has to do a few things first: repent, beg forgiveness, then stay the course, not slide back. That requires humility, openness to the truth, courage to apologize to Kay, and the steely resolve to stay straight, not just pious resolutions to go straight.
Phil Robertson (Aron von Andrian) and his wife, Kay (Amelia Eve), stay together through hard times, in "The Blind." Fathom Films
True Nature
Robertson speaks of how he learned to mimic bird calls, “The woods became my home. … I would just sit there for hours, listen to the woods. They would talk, and I would try and talk back. I could get lost in them. They were my refuge. But sooner or later, the real world … comes knockin.” He thinks he’s right to disappear into nature. It’s all so beautiful, peaceful, harmless. Later he understands how tempting it is to mistake nature for God. Nature’s nice, but it’s never enough.
Phil Robertson speaking at CPAC 2015 in Washington. Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0
Nature doesn’t insist on anything, least of all that he align himself to his real nature. God, however, insists that his nature is to love and be loved. Before the closing credits, the real-life Robertson speaks of how God taught him faithfulness, patience, kindness, and self-control that allowed his true nature to surface.
Unsurprisingly, he and Kay have been together for over 60 years. The episode featuring their renewal of marriage vows remains the “most watched, unscripted episode” from their TV series. Cheekily, it’s called “Till Duck Do Us Part.”
The film’s closing credits text says that the Robertson family lives by a simple motto: “Faith. Family. Ducks ... in that order.”
These reflective articles may interest parents, caretakers, or educators of teenagers and young adults, seeking great movies to watch together or recommend. They’re about films that, when viewed thoughtfully, nudge young people to be better versions of themselves.
You can watch “The Blind” on PureFlix, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Hoopla.
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Rudolph Lambert Fernandez
Author
Rudolph Lambert Fernandez is an independent writer who writes on pop culture.
