Dances With Films (DWF:LA), now in its 26th year, champions the unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene. Always prioritizing important storytelling above all else, this year’s theme of “Peace, Love, & Celluloid” is a nod to some of its powerful programming that promotes healing, highlights social justice, and celebrates inclusivity and diversity.
Several films that premiered at DWF:LA explicitly focused on elements of disability throughout. This included narrative films such as Heightened, with a focus on anxiety and OCD, and My Home Unknown, with a focus on schizophrenia; as well as documentaries Abled: The Blake Leeper Story, with a focus on an amputee Paralympian, Baldy for the Blind, with a focus on blind climbers, and You Have No Idea, with a focus on an autistic individual. In addition, shorts For the Safety of Theo had a focus on an individual with OCD while The Tea Party focused on a teenage girl with ADHD.
Several additional films featured disabled cast members but the film’s focus was not on the disability. These included Daruma (featuring Tobias Forrest and John W. Lawson), Proof Sheet (featuring Eileen Grubba), and The Unseen (featuring Jennifer A. Goodman and RJ Mitte). Neurodiverse multihyphenate Jennifer A. Goodman wrote, starred in, and produced The Unseen.
Below, please find a guide to several of the films featuring disability in the plot or talent with disabilities. DWF:LA is taking place through July 2 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
Abled: The Blake Leeper Story
This documentary follows Paralympian Blake Leeper training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games while he is in a legal battle with the World Athletics on whether his prosthetic legs give him an advantage.
Entertainment Media Fellow Maddie Jones reviewed this documentary: “Abled is an inspirational film but it is not inspiration porn. Leeper is asking people to view him as an athlete full stop and give him the ability to compete with people at his level. It creates a new version of inspirational disability content, making it a must see.” Read Full Review
Daruma
Described by the filmmakers as a dark comedy, the story follows Patrick (a bitter wheelchair user played by Tobias Forrest) who must enlist the help of his cantankerous neighbor Robert (a double amputee veteran played by John W. Lawson) to transport the daughter he never knew he had (a precocious four-year-old played by Victoria Scott) to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.
Entertainment Media Fellow Jeremy Hsing reviewed this film: “Daruma is brilliantly shot and directed by Alexander Yellen using Panavision cameras to capture the story of Patrick in a dynamic way. In several sequences, the camera is attached to a wheelchair rig to capture Patrick’s first person POV. By doing so, it accentuates Patrick’s performance to portray his inner turmoil as he goes on a journey of internal reckoning.” Read Full Review
For the Safety of Theo
The indie short For the Safety of Theo follows a young man with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who must purge himself of the consequences of a casual hook-up from the night before in order to regain his sense of stability. The story is largely inspired by writer/director Christopher Macken’s own lived experience with OCD.
Entertainment Media Fellow Jeremy Hsing reviewed this short: “For the Safety of Theo combines superb technical craftsmanship with strong direction to create a narrative that captures an anxiety-inducing portrayal of OCD.” Read Full Review
Heightened
During a panic attack while taking her Bar exam, the true depth of Nora’s challenges become apparent. She begrudgingly returns to her childhood home in Maine where she confronts a series of mental health struggles that have shaped her life. Amidst the turmoil, she finds solace and hope in unexpected places.
Communications Fellow Juliet Romeo reviewed this film: “In a world where mental health is often stigmatized and misunderstood, the writer and director of Heightened, Sara Friedman, takes viewers on a transformative journey. The film dives into what it is like to live with anxiety and borderline obsessive-compulsive disorder. As we are introduced to Nora, also portrayed by Friedman, we witness the challenges she faces and the pivotal moment that catapults her onto a path of self-discovery.” Read Full Review
My Home Unknown
Filmed at the height of the pandemic, Yaz Canli’s directorial debut My Home Unknown brings attention to the pressing social issues of homelessness and mental illness. The film follows the journey of Mina (Yaz Canli) living on the streets of Los Angeles and experiencing the downward spiral of a mental health crisis, namely schizophrenia. Mina must wrestle with the abusive voices in her mind, while contending with the harsh realities of her present and grief of her past, to find her way home.
Entertainment Media Fellow Elizabeth Kim reviewed this film: “Many of the scenes focus on Mina walking alone throughout Los Angeles, illustrating the social isolation she faces daily. Watching the film is a colorful, jarring, and disorienting experience, because Mina usually wakes up in a different place after experiencing an episode. Clever camera cuts offer deeper insight into the mind of schizophrenia.” Read Full Review
The Tea Party
Fall into young Canadian filmmaker Arianna Goarley’s gutsy and gleeful creative cavern as she invokes the wonders of ADHD paired with the world’s most renowned Alice. Her film, The Tea Party, is an Alice in Wonderland-inspired narrative short that explores ADHD and how it manifests in a young person’s life.
Entertainment Media Fellow Samuel Krauss reviewed this short: “The film’s message is clear: ADHD is real! The mission is not hard to recognize either. All the young faces that play the cast of familiar characters is the best indicator. A new generation is here, and they have some things to teach us.” Read Full Review
