Daruma

Daruma is a triumph of authentic storytelling. As a disabled woman, it's rare to see characters who reflect not just my experiences but my complexities, dreams, and flaws (and desires!!!!). This isn't a story about disability-it's a story about friendship, resilience, and confronting life's messy moments. The bond between Patrick and Robert is deeply human and emotionally raw, capturing the frustrations, humor, and beauty of their journey. Watching this film felt like being truly seen, not for my disability, but for the person I am beyond it. The performances are nuanced and magnetic, drawing you into a narrative that's as relatable as it is moving. Daruma doesn't preach; it connects. It's a film I'll carry with me, grateful for the way it made me laugh, cry, and, most importantly, feel seen.

This is a well-made film with classic indie vibes and a touching father-daughter relationship at the center of the story. It stars a pair of surprisingly strong actors with actual disabilities and very cute little girl. There are a couple of recognizable faces who are clearly there for more than marketing value. If you're a fan of Blue Bloods you'll appreciate a very different kind of role for Abigail Hawk (Detective Baker) and Barry Bostwick, who I know mostly from comedic roles and Rocky Horror, lends some genuine gravitas to this film and got me a little choked up. If you like indie roadtrip movies, definitely watch this one.

Uniformly excellent performances as the charm of a young child helps an angry, disabled man find redemption. The story arc is rather predictable, though it is very well written. One problem (which would be insignificant for many viewers, but as a frequent cross-country traveler, kept interrupting my engagement with the film) is that the time-sensitive cross-country trip from Arizona/Southern California to Providence, RI is shown to progress primarily on "back roads" -- this approach versus taking interstate highways makes for some very beautiful scenic shots, but the unrealistic nature of this, as well as some seemingly inconsistent topographical continuity, kept throwing me out of the film's believability.

I've seen this film twice now (once on the festival circuit and then in person in LA at a screening) and I loved it even more the second time I saw it (if that's even possible). Everything about this film: from the acting, to the writing, to the cinematography, to the determination of the filmmakers to get it made and out into the world is a triumph of independent filmmaking. It's so hard to make a movie and even more so to make one that stars authentically cast actors but this film does it and does it exceptionally well. If you want to support authentic storytelling and indie filmmaking, please check out this film. Everything in Hollywood is based on sequels and big set pieces but this movie is like a throwback to that wonderful time in the late 1990s and early 2000s where films were centered on characters and their stories. It's like the film's tagline: fall down seven times, get up eight. Maybe the success of this film can help encourage others to make films like this and demonstrate an audience for this kind of storytelling. Well done to everyone involved.

Fellow filmmaker here: I've been to a LOT of my friends' screenings over the years and seen a LOT of movies that felt like they just missed the mark. This is NOT one of those movies. The filmmakers did such an incredible job of not only storytelling but casting the film authentically and they did it in way that by the end of the movie you didn't even realize you were looking at disability on the screen. Like... what a hat trick! Not only were the performances fantastic by the two lead and the supporting cast (Barry Bostwick is all I have to say about that!) but the production quality was astounding. The camera work, the sound, the sets, the wardrobe, the continuity. It was all there. This is a real, studio level film but these filmmakers did something studios do not do: they make an authentically cast film and didn't center the disability and took a risk. And it paid off. In spades. And as a fellow filmmaker I have chime in that these kinds of films don't come around often. So if you want to see more representation on screen and want to see more diverse stories, then please RENT or BUY this film. Indie film is in such a hard spot right now and these filmmakers deserve every single dollar that they will earn back from the exhibition of this film. Don't miss it and please don't sleep on it. You won't regret it.