Reflecting Disability in Film
The past week marked thirty years since the United States passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To celebrate this anniversary, we have put together a selection of films from around the world which give some insight into the lives of people with various disabilities.
Beanpole
(Дылда)
A war movie about what happens after battle.
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- Russia • 2019
- Director Kantemir Balagov
- Cast Viktoriya Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina, Konstantin Balakirev, Kseniya Kutepova, Olga Dragunova, Andrey Bykov
- Genre Drama
- Available on OVID, Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
One More Time with Feelings
(Isa Pa, with Feelings)
In the first feature length Filipino film to feature Filipino Sign Language, two strangers, Mara and Gali fall in love when they discover they are neighbors.
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- Philippines • 2019
- Director Prime Cruz
- Cast Maine Mendoza, Carlo Aquino, Lotlot De Leon, Cris Villanueva, Nikki Valdez, Vangie Labalan
- Genre Romance, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video
Margarita with a Straw
A college student with cerebral palsy seeks her independence by spending a semester abroad in New York City.
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- India • 2015
- Director Shonali Bose
- Cast Kalki Koechlin, Revathi, Sayani Gupta, William Moseley, Hussain Dalal
- Genre Bollywood, Drama, Family
- Available on The Roku Channel
The Way He Looks
(Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)
Not every love happens at first sight.
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- Brazil • 2014
- Director Daniel Ribeiro
- Cast Ghilherme Lobo, Fábio Audi, Tess Amorim, Lúcia Romano, Eucir de Souza, Selma Egrei
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Rust and Bone
(De rouille et d'os)
Catastrophe Is A Means For Growth.
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- France, Belgium • 2012
- Director Jacques Audiard
- Cast Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bouli Lanners, Céline Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Mourad Frarema
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Poetry
(시)
A Korean grandmother enrolls in a poetry class, where she finds solace amid the chaos of her personal life.
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- Korea • 2010
- Director Lee Chang-dong
- Cast Yoon Jeong-hee, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-ra, Ahn Nae-sang, Kim Yong-taek, Park Myung-shin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(Le scaphandre et le papillon)
The true story of a man who suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body except for his left eye.
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- France, United States • 2007
- Director Julian Schnabel
- Cast Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josée Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Hoopla
Oasis
(오아시스)
Have you really loved someone?
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- Korea • 2002
- Director Lee Chang-dong
- Cast Sol Kyung-gu, Moon So-ri, Ahn Nae-sang, Ryoo Seung-wan, Son Byung Ho, Chu Kwi-jung
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Metrograph, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Dancer in the Dark
A Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, uses her love of musicals to escape her life's troubles.
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- Denmark, Germany, Netherlands • 2000
- Director Lars Von Trier
- Cast Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Joel Grey, Cara Seymour
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, Plex Channel
The Colour of Paradise
(رنگ خدا)
How far will a widowed father go to deny his blind son in order to find a new wife?
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- Iran • 1999
- Director Majid Majidi
- Cast Hossein Mahjoub, Mohsen Ramezani, Salameh Feyzi, Farahnaz Safari, Elham Sharifi, Behzad Rafi
- Genre Drama, Family
- Available on Fandango At Home
The Piano
A pianist who has been sold into marriage begins a new life with her daughter by her side.
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- New Zealand, Australia, France • 1993
- Director Jane Campion
- Cast Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Cliff Curtis, Kerry Walker
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, AMC on Demand
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown
The true story of an Irishman born with cerebral palsy who learns to use his left foot to paint and write.
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- Ireland, United Kingdom • 1989
- Director Jim Sheridan
- Cast Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelan, Declan Croghan, Eanna MacLiam
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, fuboTV, Epix Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand