Cover Photo By Kai Javier
Cover Photo By Kai Javier.

Recs with context: Films with differently-abled characters edition


Building legacies and breaking barriers within and beyond the reel, these differently-abled characters in films shed light with their plights and triumphs.


By Belle McDonnell | Friday, 11 December 2020

Get ready to revisit classics and discover hidden gems that celebrate the lives of differently abled individuals! This roster is bound to invoke a sense of awe, a surge of strength, and bittersweet tears in between the skillfully crafted scenes. 

Cinema lives on through these five films that nearly all ages can resonate with. This list is an even split between fictional movies inspired by true events.

Breathe (2017)

Genres: Biography, Romance, Drama

Taking us back to 1958, Robin and Diana Cavendish’s idyllic lives instantly charm the beholder. The British newlyweds, brought to life by the equally British pair of Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, have this white picket fence daydream screech to a halt. Robin Cavendish is diagnosed with polio and he is frankly given three months to live at the spry age of 28. 

Andy Serkis’s directorial debut, produced by the couple’s son Jonathan Cavendish, zeroes in on what polio patients had to face for themselves and their families. With much respect and sensitivity, audiences get a glimpse into the darkest hours of a man who would unwittingly become among the longest living responauts.

Moreover, it spared no expense nor sugary coatings over the hurdles that the Robin Cavendish actively spoke about with regards to how the medical world treated terminally ill patients and responauts at the time. Yet, the film’s poignancy does not come off as petulant and its heart beats with teeth grinding grit. 

What might grind some gears, however, is how this nearly two hour film comes to a close by asking a thousand questions more. 

Rating: 3/5

Forrest Gump (1994)

Genres: Drama, Comedy

If some people are born great while others have greatness thrust upon them—it can be said that Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) achieved the great “American Dream” on his own merit, despite being born with a crooked spine and being intellectually handicapped. Beloved by critics, the people, and the Academy, this 1994 American classic is simply a must-see.

The impeccably crafted set, musical score, and beautiful costume design, effortlessly evoked nostalgia for the 1960s, the Counterrevolution, and even skimmed over the Vietnam War. The backdrop of these critical, historical times were at times made apparent through tongue-in-cheek references. The deep grimness usually abound in period films such as this is refreshingly replaced by an almost whimsical sense of lightheartedness—but lest audiences be fooled, the titular character’s humor belies wisdom and numerous iconic lines.

In the end, the film’s elements serve to emphasize and not eclipse the fable of a pure soul. More than a box of chocolates, audiences will need a box of tissues by their side!

Rating: 5/5 

Every Child is Special (2007)

Genre: Musical, Drama

This hasn’t become a standard school recollection flick for nothing. Its genius manifests itself early on in its screen time as it revolves around eight-year old Ishaan Awasthi’s (Darsheel Safary) point of view which neither patronizes children nor antagonizes adults. Its themes on love, acceptance, and understanding, plus the arguments it has for the importance of art in holistic development, are translated through its writing and editing. 

It stands as a beautiful nod to boyhood and boarding school blues, too. 

The film is visual as it is visceral. Audiences can expect an aching stomach from all the laughter to a clenched heart at the difficulties as this misunderstood dyslexic child goes through; from his family, peers, and the rigorous academic pressures of Indian society, not too far off from that of the rest of Asia. 

Be sure to be beholden by this Bollywood treat that is bound to pluck at heartstrings as Ishaan’s predicament finally sees the help it needs through the arrival of Ram Shankar played by Aamir Khan, who co-directed the film alongside Amole Gupta.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Intouchables (2011)

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Rooted in the reality of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou’s profound friendship, “The Intouchables” delves into the more nuanced manifestations of ableism that the quadriplegic and aristocratic Philippe (Francois Cluzet) became sick of.

This leads him to hire Driss (Omar Sy)—a young immigrant who is more than just rough around the edges as far as Philippe’s friends are concerned. But this is what he needs, to have all this undue pity be cut short by Driss’s witty and wholly honest jabs. Moreover, as events unravel, this unlikely pair become whetstones who sharpen and truthfully transform each other for the better.

Skimming across French classicism, touching upon themes of family and relationships and enshrining the innate dignity every man possesses which not even paralysis can nullify—this continental, critically acclaimed movie is a must-see indeed.

Rating: 4.5/5

Dinig Sana Kita (2009)

Genre: Coming of Age, Comedy, Drama, Romance 

Skillfully stitching the adolescent experience within one’s family setting or the lack thereof while fleshing out three-dimensional characters, this indie gem first introduces us to Niña (Zoe Sandejas) who channels her pain into rock ‘n roll. But what gets the reel truly rolling is when she meets Kiko (Romalito Mallari), a Deaf dancer with a heart of gold.

Director Mike Sandejas, who immersed himself within the Deaf community, truly delivered and stayed true to the value of representation by allowing Deaf actors to bring their characters to life justly and honestly. In addition, the lead actor, who is an alumnus of Benilde, considers the film to be a "message in a bottle" for his father that he has yet to meet.

When words fail, dance and music take over as essential literary devices that will place springs in one’s feet and daggers into one’s heart with each twist in the narrative. As a film that Filipinos can be proud of, this should definitely not be missed.

Rating: 4/5

 
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Last updated: Friday, 11 December 2020