transabled.org

This is not a question directly related to this movie, but I always hear everyone here talk about how fictional portrayals of BIID are always missing something.

Obviously, it’s impossible to fit EVERYTHING into a film or novel or whatever, but I’m curious — what sort of things, in your opinion, absolutely MUST be included in a fictional work about BIID?

I’m considering producing an amateur (ultra low-budget) film about BIID, and after seeing the reception for this one, I really want to try to get it right.

As a side note to my previous comment, I know I can incorporate my own experiences from BIID into the film, but I want to get others’ feedback as well, since everyone here in the BIID has different expectations that may not correspond with my own.

I have yet to see this movie as it just released here in the US today. I hope to see it and I hope to own a copy on day probably. With that being said I have a few disagreements with a few comments that have been made about this movie thus far. Mainly being, why does the author “have too” discuss his views with us and gain our permission and build his movie completely off of our thoughts, feelings, and ideas? Again and again I have read it said that he “lurked here without even talking to us” and alike, and that statement only worries me.

As a writer I constantly go around and do my own research on matters and form my own opinions and assumptions and use them for my advantage as I want in my stories. If every author or screenwriter had to follow rules and allow people to tell him what he could express and couldn’t and how he could do this or that, quiet simply, a story or movie would never be produced. Stories and movies are written threw the mind or the eyes of the author. Each character and scene is a little spark of emanation inside the author’s head. If the author were to have to deal with the stress of allowing a group of people to come in and start taking over his story and changing it all around to how he liked it to be then he would quickly lose interest in the story and would not finish it, much like I have done with some of my stories in the past.

I can understand why on a community basis we need and want this movie and story to tell a truthful depiction of our true selves and how we feel, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen and even if it did, I think that it wouldn’t make for a great story. I know if I were writing a story like this, I would most certainly do all of my own research on the matter to come up with a character and a scenario I liked and that played with my story. I probably would contact at least one individual who felt the way we do to try and base things off her and to try and understand her fully, but I don’t believe I would let her completely control my work.

As for wither we concern ourselves with how we look when we are out in our wheelchairs and such. I will admit that I feel that way; I constantly check my sitting position to make sure I still look the way that I like to look. I make sure my feet are both side-by-side perfectly positioned on the footplate, I make sure I am sitting correctly in the seat and not slouched over. As I have mentioned before, I am attracted to the devices more than I am the actual disability. I have come to understand that people with BIID are more attracted to the disability…with that in mind I believe that one would most certainly be concerned with the way they displayed themselves, I would somewhat think you would have to be in order to be a pretender. I mean sure, you don’t have to be abscessed with it, as I am not with the way I look either, but I would think it would be something that would be in your mind to make sure that you didn’t move your legs incorrectly and that you did everything as the people you are trying to be would do. For myself, I am a pretender and I am not scared of that, I am happy as a pretender and I don’t worry about people discovering that I am not disabled because I don’t claim to be. The only reason I am concerned about how I look in my chair is because I want to look attractive, I want to look good and pleasing, I want to look like the person I feel inside.

If this story was based on anyone in particular, I am sure the author respects that person for who they are. He might have tweaked them a little to better fit his story, but I feel that he probably had a feeling for her if he cared enough about her to use her in his story. If he didn’t use anyone, well, then is it possible for a moment to think that maybe the author made a character of himself? Possibly, maybe, deep inside himself he felt like he did, but was just too scared to ever present it? I know in my stories I write a lot about things that frankly scare me in real life, but yet in my stories I find it so easy to talk about them and dream about them so vividly.

Even though I have not seen this movie yet and I don’t know how they really depict us, I honestly feel that I am glad they are making these movies and that Newsweek wrote that article and that more and more we are showing up in tv shows and radio shows even if we are displayed wrongly and called names and judged wrongly and harshly…why am I glad that this is happening? Because finally we are being recognized and getting out there. Sure we are not understood, but at least people are starting to realize we exist, that’s the first step. Once people know we exist, sure they are going to have questions and wonder what we are all about and they are doing to make false assumptions based on the lies they are fed by propagandist, but then it’s up to us to meet these people who now know we exist and to show them the truth behind us and to educate them. There are so many things in life that are just like this. One person finds something new that is widely unknown and it offends them in a small way so they react angrily and make up all sorts of roderick about it and tell everyone they come in contact with. Then eventually the group of people gets up and educates the masses and soon that group becomes a well established, large, respected and accepted part of the world. In order to get the acceptance we so strongly desire we have to go threw the hard ships and pain. Yes it hurts and it hurts very bad, but nothing in this world has ever come easily, everything has been fought for.

Any artist has to understand that criticism comes with the territory, some enlightened, some not. Since the movie is about the challenge we share, I would think that we deserve a respectful hearing.

A good movie in my view, but not perfect. It is the first I am aware of exploring BIID, as well as disability devotees, wannabes and pretenders. Crash (1996) was the only other one (to some extent) but that was not in the same league as QPQ.

It would be good if this gets a wider showing in mainstream cinemas rather than just the art houses showing indies to film afficionados only. It sounds like the DVD is only going to be available in Region 1 formatting, which would be a shame for those of us in UK/Europe etc.

I don’t know what DVD players are available in Europe but DVD players in New Zealand are multi regional (I think that’s the way to say it, lol).

It would appear that New Zealand has or is trying to mandate multi-regional DVD players (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_region_codes).
Alas, you can be sure that Hollywood will do that much of the rest of the world only if dragged kicking and screaming. Therefore, for the US and Europe this regional code system remains. There ARE options:
Older computer-based DVD players are often multi-regional though newer DVD drives aren’t (I had a ca. 2001 DVD drive that worked with all DVDs, haven’t tested my latest DVD-R).
There are ways of hacking it (see the Wikipedia article).

I am in North America and once purchased a DVD from Europe. Of course, I couldn’t play the DVD on my player. So I went to my electronics store and explained the situation, and the salesman said that he’d ask some questions and get back to me. The next day I got a call; they had one model that could be “hacked” and the brand representative told him how to do it. It was a top-of-the-line model, so quite expensive. I bought it, though, and the store hacked it for me, and I’ve never regretted it. Not only can I now play DVDs from anywhere, but it’s also the best DVD player I’ve ever had. It doesn’t skip or freeze even with scratched DVDs. Sometimes we watch old DVDs on a different TV with our mid-priced player, only to move to the good one when it starts freezing. It’s the old adage: “You get what you pay for.” So, if you’re in Europe and want to watch DVDs from other regions, ask around. There are ways around the system. Now I know that I probably didn’t need to buy the most expensive model (though the thing is so good I don’t regret a cent of it), and could have done it myself! Here’s a website with hacks: http://www.dvdexploder.com/multihacks.htm

You can get the movie as a Torrent file online - just put in the movie title with the word torrent. I have watched the movie once and will watch it again as it is packed with complex themes and rushed a little between concepts e.g. devotees, wannabees, pretenders and then to add another hysterical paralysis! A need to think about it more - there was an interesting scene whether fiona wheels into a diner for the first time - there is a kind of dissonance between her and the main guys experiences - interesting differences around living with ableism - disability in an abled world.

I don’t really condone grabbing the movie from Torrent, as it is an illegal activity…

I have also watched it once, and am letting things percolate a bit, before I watch it again. As Fiona says, there is a LOT to that movie that needs to be analysed and considered. Some good, some not so good.

Sean said: “I don’t really condone grabbing the movie from Torrent, as it is an illegal activity…”

Not to mention that the people who invested in the movie deserve to be paid for their work.

It’s a shame that the movie had so little distribution. I’ve talked to many people who said that they would have gone to see it, but couldn’t find it anywhere, and so resorted to downloading it because they were extremely interested in it and it was the only way they could view it. When and if the DVD comes out I will post purchase information on this site.