Fading Light (2000)

Original title: Το Φως που Σβήνει

Twelve year old Christos Myrisiotis lives with his mother Eleni on a remote picturesque Aegean island. The boy has been doubly singled out by fate. He has a remarkable musical talent but at the same time is condemned to going blind as a result of a rare disease. Now an eccentric loner, Christos finds an outlet in nature and the dream world of a cave where his heightened hearing enables him to collect natural sounds which he then turns to musical compositions for his violin. His only friends are his classmate Angeliki and the old lighthouse keeper Soursoumis who teaches him not only the violin but also about life in general. Everything changes when the new schoolteacher Maria arrives on the island. She develops a great interest in Christos’ exceptional abilities even though he keeps on being indifferent to school. On her own initiative Maria ensures his participation in a music contest. Christos’ traumatic family and personal experiences cause him to mature as an artist.