A 2019 musical drama, Blinded by the Light currently holds an 89 percent favorability rating among critics and a 91 percent favorability rating among the general public on Rotten Tomatoes. Set in the late 1980s, this film tells the story of a British-Pakistani college student who becomes obsessed with the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Much of the power of Blinded by the Light comes from its soundtrack of Bruce Springsteen songs. The film graphically illustrates the emotional impact of Springsteen’s moving lyrics by displaying them on screen around the head of the main character, Javed, as he listens in amazement and admiration. After hearing his first Springsteen song (the relatively poppy Dancing in the Dark), Javed begins to steadily gravitate toward grittier Springsteen fare from the 1970s, including Prove It All Night and The Promised Land.