Siân Heder delivers another fresh entry with disabled actors and a strong spirits
I don’t think I’ve seen a movie begins with a woman in a motorized wheel chair flipping off an angry bus driver. And I don’t think I’ve seen a movie about that person, who is an activist named Judith Heumann. We have history and the biopic “Being Heumann” to thank for that.
This is the latest feature from filmmaker Sian Heder, who won the Oscar for “CODA,” which celebrated a deaf family with their one hearing member. And she delivers another entertaining movie with disabled actors and non-disabled actors, and a strong message within the true story. With some sly humor, an entertaining soundtrack, and a lot of consistency, this is another winner for Heder, who never exploits any disabled person for entertainment purposes. She trusts in them, and we trust in her to help speak for others.
The time is the 1970s in San Francisco, and Judith (spina bifida actress Ruth Madeley) has been organizing a protest regarding Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo), the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who hasn’t signed Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which would protect the rights of disabled people. A majority of them either couldn’t go to school or got kicked out because they were in wheelchairs or blind, and jobs for them were few and far between. As an autistic young man, I often wonder how I would function in that time period, so I’m able to ease into their complications and listen to what they have to say.
The time is now 1978, and that bill still hasn’t been signed. So until that bill gets signed, Judith and her fellow protestors march to a federal building and occupy it. They include the muscular dystrophy patient Kitty Cone (real wheelchair user Madeline Delp), the MS Black Panther Brad Lomax (Antwan Tolliver), the polio patent Ed Roberts (Michael Patrick Thornton), and Judith’s love interest Jim (Jon Beavers). Of course, a majority of them have medical needs and can barely sit on the toilet. So they need as much aid as they can get, and even the young reporter Evan White (Dylan O’Brien) is willing to help. And this movie shows how the system tries to crush their spirits, when they cut off their food, supplies, and phone lines. But Judith is still persistent enough to thrive, even if some of her protestors question her behavior.
An adaptation of the real Judith Heumann’s memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” the movie is committed to representing a story like that. It’s not always in focus with every character, but it does speak for a lot of them, and the disabled actors are equally as entertaining as the non-disabled actors. Madeley is great as Judy, in the ways she expresses her great strength, determination, and stubbornness. A voice like hers should help speak out for all the disabled people who often get the short end of the stick. And Ruffalo is entertaining as he often clowns around with some of the humor he’s provided and how he specializes in political movies.
“Being Heumann” is another entertaining example of how Heder gives disabled people a voice in cinema, and an activist like Judy Heumann should have her story told. Her next project is a wise decision. It speaks with a conviction of hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, some disabled people still get discriminated today, because of the doubts and cynicism. Even this film acknowledges that at the end when it explains these real people’s futures. But in spite of that, this movie is anything but discriminating nor cynical. It’s a wheelchair ride to remember.
In Select Theaters This Friday
Streaming on AppleTV Next Week
