This film was based on the memoir by Judith Heumann of the same name. She was an infamous, internationally known American Disability Rights activist, often called “The mother of the disability rights movement.” She quite literally changed the world. Being Heumann centers on her efforts to get Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 signed so it could be enforced. It was the landmark provision explicitly banning discrimination against people with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal funding.
I know some of you might be saying, “Oh no, this does not sound like a fun film at all.” I have to disagree, because Academy Award-winning writer Sian Heder directed and co-wrote it. In 2022, she won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the brilliant film Coda. She also directed Coda, and it won Best Motion Picture of the Year at the Academy Awards. She has a gift for making the world of people with disabilities accessible to those of us looking in from the outside.
The tagline for this new film is “They wouldn’t take Judy Heumann’s phone calls, so she took their building.” In 1977, a young disabled woman, Judy (Ruth Madeley), and a ragtag coalition of outsiders decided they’d had enough. What began as one impulsive act became the longest occupation of a federal building in American history. All done by physically challenged people. And it sparked other people who were with them to do the same thing in other cities. The film tells the story of how they refused to leave until the bureaucrat who was in their way, Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo), took action and signed the bill so it could be enforced.
That is what this film is about at least on paper. Once you see this movie, you’ll understand that it’s much more than that. It’s about camaraderie and the humor found in people willing to be uncomfortable, dirty, and hungry while standing and fighting for what they believe in. It’s surprising how much humor and grit this film has.
The director said she didn’t know who Judy Heumann was before she saw the 2020 Oscar-nominated documentary “Crip Camp.” It had screened at Sundance Film Festival, and a friend of Sian’s turned her on to it. At that point, she decided somebody had to make a film about this woman who had changed so many lives. When asked why she chose this topic as her follow-up to CODA, Sian is quoted as saying :
“I had spent years after CODA developing several projects. When Judy died, I realized that I had to make her movie next. It was an impossible movie to get made, a giant ensemble and a period piece, and was going to have a cast of unknown disabled actors. I knew I might never have a similar moment of power in the industry again to be able to push this movie through. Winning an Oscar had given me some capital, and I was going to spend it to make the hardest project I could think of making.”
Being Heumann can boast that it used the largest ensemble cast of disabled actors in Hollywood history. The cast includes wheelchair users, deaf actors, blind actors, and performers representing various physical and neurological conditions, working alongside well-known able-bodied actors such as Mark Ruffalo and Rob Delaney. But beyond the hook of its authenticity is the heart of the film. This is a little time capsule of a film, with its look, sound, and music, of what it was like in the 70s when a group of young people thought they could change the world… and they actually did.
I give Being Heumann 4.5 stars. It’s a layered, well-told story about a real person who made a real difference for herself and people with disabilities in the U.S. Don’t be surprised if this funny, tender film earns a few Oscar nominations.
Directed by: Sian Heder
Written by: Sian Heder, Judith Heumann, Kristen Joiner
Rated: R
Selig Rating: 4.5 Stars
Running Time: 2 h 7 min
Docudrama, Biography, Drama
Release: Limited theatrical release Nov 6th and streaming exclusively on Apple TV Nov 13th
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O’Brien, Rob Delaney, and Ruth Madeley
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.