The metaphor is propaganda - anti-exploration, the corruption of the physical, fear of the stranger (xenophobia), success of the blind, and final limitation of sight to enclosed safe spaces.

The film plays like the justification of neurotic psychopathology. The destruction of these tried and true heuristics renders the movie opposite the hero myth: true sight is not used to revitalize the crumbling or excessively ordered city by encountering chaos and learning, rather, this "hero" runs from the unknown with eyes closed until segregating the self away from new knowledge and the unknown for the sake of protecting the children.

Unfortunately, this is not how reality functions. Children learn and grow by taking as much risk as they can handle, keeping their eyes open, and not being overprotected. Narratives are strengthened by engaging the unknown and testing to find weaknesses. "The good mother necessarily fails." C. Jung

Great acting though.