Andrea Bocelli recalls the incident that left him blind: “That’s when darkness fell”

9 September 2024, 14:20

It was a life-changing moment.

Andrea Bocelli has carved an incredible career out for himself due to his immaculate operatic voice.

But he's also renowned for his visual impairment that has defined his life, yet hasn't hindered his trajectory toward becoming one of the world's most adored tenors.

Now, in his new documentary titled Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend, the Italian has been looking back.

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On a specific, life-changing incident that is, which left him completely blind having already been living with glaucoma which affected his vision.

Bocelli was an avid football fan, and whilst playing the game at school was struck by the ball which his brother Alberto says was "when darkness fell."

"As a child, I was considered extremely short-sighted. I could see everything but only from up close," Andrea remembers in the documentary.

"I remember extremely well the world I saw. Colours, everything. How could I forget those memories?"

Joined by his brother Alberto on screen, Andrea's sibling then goes on to discuss the lead-up to the event and the fallout.

"My brother Andrea, aged three-and-a-half, due to congenital glaucoma, had been operated on thirteen times in Turin," he explains. "It was torture."

At the age of seven, Andrea was sent to study at a boarding school for "the visually impaired" since "no local school would take him," Alberto says.

"He would come home only in the holidays. We'd go visit him once a month," he continued

At just twelve years old, Andrea would be permanently blinded, in an incident which Andrea later said was "the worst moment" in his life.

"One day, playing [football], I was the goalkeeper. No idea why, as I had never been the goalie before," he recalls.

"And I never would be goalie again. A ball hit me right in the face. From that blow, a haemorrhage.. and the rest is history."

"That's when he lost", Alberto adds. "That's when darkness fell."

Footage in the interview shows Andrea's mum talking in an earlier interview, saying that the family refused to accept the "poor boy" narrative, and that Andrea bravely continued with his life.

"Above all, Andrea never accepted any form of pity. He'd say, 'What's the point of pity?'" We've raised him on these principles. With courage. With a lot of courage," she said.

"My mother feared I wouldn't be able to fend for myself," tenor Andrea adds. "She worked really hard to provide me with tranquillity and stability."

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe "tracks Bocelli’s path to success and ongoing dedication to his craft through interviews and archival performance footage, as well as informal gatherings, such as a diverting party where Bocelli’s friends and family reminisce over food and wine," according to the description.

"When Bocelli sings," it adds, "it is as though heaven has opened its gates, but watching Because I Believe reminds us that this remarkable artist is very much rooted in the earth."