Watch: Go BTS of the Film that Launched a Thousand Memes: 'Bird Box'

Already celebrated by its distributor, Netflix, for having been viewed by over 45 million user accounts since December 21st, Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier's Bird Box has become somewhat of a worldwide sensation. That's something you need not a blindfold to see. 

Set in a (post?) apocalyptic world in which deadly creatures roam the planet, infecting human beings who merely catch a glimpse of them, Bird Box is a film that feels ripe for a low budget. Since our heroes are unable to look at the monsters, they blindfold themselves whenever they step outdoors, and the viewer is given the same perspective (essentially cloth wrapped over a camera lens). Officially, a creature designer is credited as having worked on the film, but since we never get to see the creatures, we're unsure of how much work was put in.

Set between two time periods—the initial "outbreak" and five years later when most of humanity has been wiped out—the film is part Night of the Living Dead, part The Happening, and part The Miracle Worker. The film is about the power of sense (sight in particular) and how, when robbed of it, we begin to distrust one another. There's also a strong case for the film as a metaphor for disease; locked up in a house with a bunch of strangers, the crew is distrustworthy of seemingly good-natured people on the outside who may sadly prove infected. 

Whether our characters, lead by lead actress Sandra Bullock, make it to safety by film's end will not be spoiled here, but much of the film does involve Bullock and two children braving the winding river in an attempt to find a sanctuary of sorts. Admittedly rough, the footage below shows just how much work goes into filming three actors in rather intimate moments. A full-stocked crew had to brave the waters with Bullock and her younger counterparts, and it's an impressive assembly of talent.

Have you seen Bird Box? What did you think of it? Let us known in the comments below.