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There are still a few days left to enjoy a free streaming event hosted by BBC America and AMC Networks in partnership with the American Association for People with Disabilities. Throughout October 2020, CripTales, a collection of British short films written, directed and starring people with disabilities, will be available to watch for free on the networks’ websites.
Curated by British actor and writer Mat Fraser, the collection features six monologues, each around 15 minutes long, focusing on different aspects of disabled life. Each film features a single actor speaking directly to the audience. The sets are simple, but the costumes, props and stage design place each story in historical and tonal context, sometimes highlighting specific objects significant to disabled lives, such as wheelchairs, canes or prosthetic limbs.
These films succeed both as collective artistic statements and profoundly insightful disability awareness experiences. Anyone who wants to understand the lives and cultures of people with disabilities beyond crude stereotypes and sappy, progressive clichés needs to see these films. None of these films are “inspirational” or “educational” in the conventional sense, but they are all moving and authentic, which is perhaps more important.
The six ‘CripTales’ movies are:
“Audition” — written and performed by Matt Fraser. “Thunderbox” — written and performed by Genevieve Barr, performed by Ruth Madeley. “The Real Deal” — written and performed by Tom Wentworth, performed by Liz Carr. “Hamish” — written and performed by Jack Thorne, performed by Robert Softley. “Paper Knickers” — written and performed by Jackie Hagan. “The Shed” — written and performed by Matilda Ibini, performed by Carly Houston.
All of these could be safely called “disability films.” They’re not “mainstream” films that “happen” to feature disabled characters. But they’re not preachy, “issues” films, either. They all make sharp social observations and judgments, but they’re not painful to watch or inspire pity or guilt. CripTales is an emotionally complex, thematically wide-ranging series of films that make powerful statements about the disability experience and the unique ability of disabled artists to interpret it.
Emotionally complex
While most films featuring disabilities or disabled characters are emotional, the reactions are usually limited to a narrow range of feelings: pity, sentimentality or a vague sense of triumph. The six films in “CripTales” evoke a much broader range of emotions that anyone can relate to, but that are especially familiar to people with disabilities.
Embarrassment and humiliation…from being asked pointless and intrusive questions, especially at key moments like job interviews and disability benefits assessments. Intimacy and romance…from a young disabled woman in the 60s, a 34-year-old man in the early 80s who first found freedom in his power wheelchair, an awkward and complicated amputee, and a writer who uses a wheelchair. Sadness and fear…from a young disabled woman robbed of the opportunity to become a mother, a lonely woman who fears the onset of her disability will make her even more invisible and unrecognized, and a talented disabled woman with ample assets yet threatened by her carer. Jealousy and moral complexity…as a disabled woman debates whether to report a neighbor she suspects of faking her disability to gain benefits, and whether her anger is personal rather than lofty. Pride…each character describes in her own way an acceptance of disability as part of who she is, rejecting not only the overt prejudice but also the more gentle condescension and well-meaning oppression they all encounter.
Diverse topics
These films are all about disability. But they’re not all about one thing, and certainly not just disability. Each story introduces the audience to several different but related aspects of disability culture and experience, including:
“The rampant, debilitating discrimination and ableism that is common sense and even kindness to non-disabled family and carers. The barriers to disabled sexuality and the unexpected joys. The indifference and cruelty of bureaucracy, especially towards disabled people. Moments in history seen through disabled eyes, such as the invention of the electric wheelchair and the legalization of abortion in the UK. The powerful but sometimes confusing mix of anger and optimism that characterizes the lives of many disabled people.
The six short film format allows the entire 90-minute collection to cover a much broader range of disability themes than many of the well-known Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated feature films that focus on disability.
Milestones and Statements
Perhaps more than anything, “Clip Tales” highlights how disabled characters gain more verisimilitude and integrity when played by actors with disabilities. And it’s not just a matter of equal opportunity and representation: these disabled actors are able to play disabled characters honestly in ways that non-disabled actors cannot. Non-disabled actors are often praised for “accurately” portraying disabled characters, but what gets praised is mostly mimicry and a kind of stunt acting that draws attention to the actor and distracts from the person they are trying to portray vividly. “Clip Tales” shows what is possible and what gets better when actors can focus on portraying the person correctly, rather than portraying the disability correctly.
“Clip Tales features not one, but several disabled writers, actors and directors showcasing their artistic vision. Disability in film typically only presents one version of disability or one person’s interpretation of a disability. Disability itself is incredibly diverse, so bringing together many disabled voices is both historically significant and artistically satisfying.”
“CripTales” further demonstrates that art made and performed by artists with disabilities doesn’t necessarily have to speak in one tone. It’s hard to boil the series down to one message, because there isn’t a single message or perspective. That’s its strength. “CripTales” doesn’t fall back on empty disability clichés, because there’s too much to say to be summed up in a neat slogan.
Finally, streaming the “CripTales” collection for free during National Disability Employment Awareness Month highlights the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have real employment opportunities in the arts, a topic that is explicitly addressed within the series as well as the priority behind the entire project. The end result is a worthy testament to the artistic value of employment equality in the arts.
CripTales won’t revolutionize how disability is portrayed in popular culture, but all of us – viewers, creators, producers, disabled and able-bodied – can learn a lot from it about what is possible and desirable in disability portrayal and art.