Dance Me to My Song

What an excellent film. I had the opportunity to see it at Roger Ebert's overlooked film festival in Champaign, Illinois on April 22, 1999. It at this time does not have a distributor in the United States. This is unfortunate because the film is so much better than much of the crap we make here in the US. Heather Rose's performance is heartwarming and I fortunately was able to see her as a guest on the panel after the film was shown. She helped write and direct this movie and is only able to speak through a computer voice machine. The film is about the character she plays and how she is dependent on someone to care for her constantly because she is unable to do anything for herself. She unfortunately is abused by her caretaker. This is something that happens in the US (the film takes place in Australia) too often and this is a reason why this film should be shown in as many theatres as possible to raise awareness of this problem. I'm fortunate to have seen it and not wanting to give much of it away I will only say that I think it is something many people would get a lot out of.

A strange, compelling film about a topic we never hear much about. Severely disabled people don't have a voice in our cultural landscape. Like in other films, De Heer manages to tackle topics in ways which are confronting and innovative, such as the way the microphones on Rose's body pick up her body's sounds and give us a very subjective view of her physicality. The script was mostly written by Heather Rose, who played the main role and sadly passed away a few years after the film was made. Apparently she wrote the script together with another severely disabled writer on an early bulletin board (pre-internet) The film is challenging, provocative and has surprising moments of humour.

Isn't creativity and innovation what the art of film-making should be about? Check out other De Heer movies, too, they're all different from each other. B. Huber

Rolf de Heer is a brave director, as those who've seen Bad Boy Bubby and The Quiet Room will know. In this film he braves the sensitive subject of cerebral palsy. Julia, a severe sufferer, is bound to her wheeelchair and can only communicate via her voice machine. Her heartless carer Madeline, is downright cruel to her. When the kind and loving Eddie enters Julia's life a strange menage a trois begins, but not quite as you would imagine. The film avoids mawkish sentimentality, and is a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit. Julia's strengths and weaknesses are all on display, as well as her sharp wit. Heather Rose who plays Julia also wrote the screenplay and gives us a unique insight into her world. This new Australian film is a must for anyone who wants to be confronted and amazed by a subject not often tackled on screen.

I saw this film at the Telluride film festival in 98 or 99. This film has never left me. Making critical comments on this film is simply foolish. The director and Heather filmed this film over a 5 year period due to the physical limitations of the writer/actress. This was a labor of love and inspiration. This was a project that stunningly provides an impeccable vision into a kind of life that is led by some of our fellow human beings that the rest of us would prefer to deny. Some of the comments have indicated that they were uncomfortable or that they did not get it or they didn't not care for the gratuitous moments of the film. Well tough. This is reality, the pain of body, mind and spirit and the conquering of these trials by a monumental demonstration of power, creativity and fortitude that those of us defined as "normal" can not hope to understand or match. This film is a must see for any young person or adult who wants or needs an amazing reality check. This film is a vehicle to tell a story of freedom and unquenched intellect trapped but not surrendered.

I commonly feel that too much attention is paid to the semantics of what I consider to be "convenient designations" for complex conceptions (i.e. handicapped, disabled) but after reading various journal articles regarding the power of metaphorical language, I have come to pay much closer attention to the use of language. In the summary, the reviewer refers to Julia as being trapped inside of a twisted body. This opening statement struck me nearly as much as the opening scene of the movie. For someone to label a body as 'twisted' not only idealizes a certain conception of the physical body, but also disempowers any person with any type of physical disability or difference from the 'normal.' This metaphor devalues and insults human beings and at the same time sets up inescapable prison bars on the other side of which lie acceptance. This language is in fact powerful, and some metaphors are more than simply, "convenient designations."