It’s hard to find good, disability-related films. It’s much easier to fall into melodrama and cliche than to really tackle the issues of disability, I think. Not to mention the fact that there hasn’t actually been a full-length documentary made about Moebius syndrome (which is actually interesting, with all the other condition-specific documentaries that pop up on TLC!)
But… here are a few about disabilities in general that are worth seeing:
Autism: The Musical
This is just an amazing documentary, and a great program they have developed. So much of it is about differences in general, and the importance of the arts – both things that are very important to me.
Sound and Fury
Very interesting perspective about elective procedures, the thought process that goes into them, and the effect they have on a specific disability community.
Children of a Lesser God
Just putting this here because I think it’s important to recognize actors and actresses with differences who are out there and making a difference.
And for current movies, definitely see The King’s Speech. Loved actually seeing speech therapy sessions on screen. It has a really interesting back story – the screenwriter who wrote it stuttered as a child and went through some of the same speech therapy techniques in England that are depicted in the movie. Some of their premieres have been benefits for speech therapy organizations, which I thought was great.
And for television, I can’t help but pointing out Glee’s depiction of characters with Down syndrome. The scenes with Sue and her sister and Becky the cheerleader are some of my favorites. However problematic the whole able-bodied actor in a chair issue is, I personally love the fact that they do embrace actresses with disabilities in these roles.
Natalie Abbott 