The organizers of Slamdance see film as a way of helping us see beyond the barriers of life. The “Unstoppable” films that are part of the festival are about overcoming such barriers (usually involving disabilities). The films feature or highlight the people and obstacles that many of us would rarely think about. Here is a sampling of the Unstoppable short films for this year.
Audio Description (5 minutes), directed by Luke J. Salewski, is a brief comedy about Eric, an lonely visually impaired man working at a call center. He begins hearing a voice that isn’t in his headset which vocalizes everything he’s doing, like audio descriptions in films. In time, the voice, a man named Duncan, recognizes that it’s being heard and the two have a conversation. Eric wants it to stop, but Duncan can’t until the movie is over. It seems it’s a story about finding a friend for Eric, so they set out to make friends with co-workers, but it is pretty awkward. How can the movie end if they don’t succeed?
This was a fun little comedy that managed to reveal some of the issues involved in everyday life for someone with a visual problem. It has a nice warm ending that may be a bit predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Bad Survivor (12 minutes), directed by Alex Dvorak and Katie North, is a dark look at remission. Alex has been through a year of cancer treatment and is in remission. Her oncologist is “breaking up with her”. The chaos of hospital life is her new normal, so going home is not what she wants. She’s not comfortable without her radiology mask. The whole world wants her to be happy and live a normal life, but her normal has changed.
Surviving is far more complicated than just saying “well, that’s over”. Maybe its because for the last year, every one Alex knew was focused on her. The Alex-centric world has shifted. Can she adjust to this new (old) way of life?
The Hemingway (10 minutes), directed by Evan Mathis and Patrick J. O’Brien, is a documentary/memoir of an ALS patient who is totally paralyzed. O’Brien only has the use of his eyes, and uses a computer to share his thoughts. He takes us into the strange relationship that involves his caregivers and some of the most intimate parts of his life. There is humor and darkness that are woven together.
Mo<3Kyra (13 minutes), directed by Debbie Hannan, is teen-angst multiplied by physical disabilities. It’s the leaving school celebration and could be Mo’s last chance to share her feelings with her secret crush Kyra. Assorted friends try to help and keep urging her on. It is really a story about friendship more than a romance, but in the end, it is friends that really matter.
No Leg Power (9 minutes), directed by Tristan Anthony Ortiz, is a doc about CJ Bellamy. CJ was a promising high school athlete. Division 1 college basketball programs were lining up to offer him scholarship. Perhaps he was even good enough for the NBA. But, one night, a bullet put an end to those plans. No longer able to use his legs, he finds new meaning in cross-fit training. It gives him a new outlet and allows him to tell others, “Everything is still possible.”
Out of Reach (6 minutes), directed by Cosmo Rudd, is a comedy of errors. James and Sawsan are two wheelchair-bound friends who are spending an evening together while their partners are out. Seemingly simple tasks become a challenge. She is willing to ask neighbors for help, but he is bound and determined to be independent. But is independence really the goal they should have? There is a hint of Ecclesiastes involved here.
Witness (15 minutes) directed by Radha Mahta and Saif Jaan, is probably the deepest of the films that I saw in this group. It all takes place in an American mosque. When the imam needs a witness for a wedding, he recruits a reluctant congregant. Some time later a discovery about the congregant could bring shame on the mosque and the married couple. The imam is scandalized, but can he minister to the man who has brought all this on?
The obstacles involved in this film are not focused on disabilities, but they are societal barriers that are very real. It also involves spiritual barriers that people must deal with when they strive to live out their faith in communities that are not always welcoming.
Wrong Guy (6 minutes) directed by Brett Maline, is a story of mistaken identity. Vince is disabled, and people keep coming up to him to say they knew him from school or someplace else. All from places he’s never been. It’s annoying, he’d like it to stop, until someone who’s very rich offers him (or rather the person the guy thinks he is) a luxury vacation. This is a take off on how all [fill in the group] people look alike.
