I Didn't See You There

I wasn't a fan of this movie. It presupposed that you knew things about the filmmaker, Reid. He alludes to his "politicization," for instance, but I have no idea what he's referring to. He alludes to failed attempts at 9-5 jobs, with no explanation.

The movie was boring, frankly. A lot of stretches of nothing but the ground. And things go unexplained. When Reid screams the F bomb upon unlocking the door and entering his pitch black apartment, I'm pretty sure it was because the power was turned off, but not positive. And was he to blame for not paying his utilities? Was his outburst in reaction to his somehow being treated unfairly by a landlord or the electric company?

Davenport also has this fascination with a circus tent set up near his apartment, tying it to a statue of PT Barnum in his hometown, and thus creates this theme of the Freak Show. But it goes unresolved. Everyone recognizes that Freak Shows were wrong and represent an ugly point in our history, but what is he bringing new to the table as a handicapped man? Does he think we've learned the lesson or does he believe that exploitative spirit has just moved to something else?

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Has it ever been possible where an entire documentary was made from someone who has a disability? Yes! It's possible. Director Reid Davenport who is disabled himself presents a documentary about a journey of the world through the lens of someone who is disabled. The synopsis goes along the lines as "Shot entirely from director Reid Davenport's physical perspective - mounted to his wheelchair or handheld - the film serves as an unequivocal rebuke to the norm of disabled people being seen and not heard. I Didn't See You There expands on the tradition of point-of-view cinema by incorporating a disabled aesthetic generated through Davenport's own embodiment." Davenport surprisingly creates a somewhat touching experience through the lens of the camera from a disabled point of view with many interesting aspects shown.

People may consider this boring because it's a man in a wheelchair moving his camera around Oakland and just showing scenes around. But given with the main subject matter and Davenport's narration about the world that surrounds him, it helps to add a lot of the experience. We as the audience witness what the life of being disabled is like, the struggles of what they have to go through and sometimes the pain they have to experience. I knew some people who are disabled. One being in a wheelchair and the other being blind. So I am able to understand personal how someone's life could be with their disabilities. It isn't easy to go through and I really applaud for this who make it through.

There are some good scenes and discussions from Davenport and other members around him. The sound design is pretty good. I wish there was subtitles placed onto the screen because some of the dialogue is difficult to understand which will help a lot. There are some technical moments that could be improved a little but due to the subject matter and how the filmmaking has been done, it isn't too big of a deal. Overall, this documentary is pretty good and interesting.

The Q&A featuring Davenport and other members of the documentary was very interesting and one of the best parts after watching the documentary.

Rating: B.