Purpose
Portrayals of disability in film and television send society messages about the status of people with disabilities in America, as well as how well included in society they are. This week you will watch one film with a contemporary setting and a character with a disability. When you finish, you will write a critique of the film.
Guidelines for Fieldwork #11
This week, you will watch and critique a film with a character with disabilities or a disability-related theme to watch and review. A database of films is provided on Canvas. Before you begin your critique, read the two samples provided. They will guide your writing this week.
Important! Read Dr. Clark’s review of Finding Nemo
Actions
and an online critique of the film Me Before You for two perspectives on disability portrayals in the movies. (There is also a link to a longer review of the book Me Before You is based on, if you’re interested.)
Review the list of possible films in the Vanderbilt IRIS movie database, and select for one. Plenty are available on streaming media, cable on-demand services or may be in your personal collection. Don’t pay for one! You may not use Finding Nemo or Me Before You for this assignment.
Read the Week #11 prompt before you begin. Take notes as you watch the movie to capture your thoughts.
As you watch the film, take a critical look at how disability, or issues surrounding disability are portrayed. Think about the videos in the module as you watch.
Be careful as you write! You are writing a critique, not a summary of the film. A critique will include some summary, but your opinions are the important elements of the paper.
Note: Begin your paper with a flush left, boldface heading with the name and release year of the film you are critiquing. See Dr. Clark review of Finding Nemo for a sample of how to format the heading.
Week #11 Prompt
Select a film with a contemporary setting and a character with a disability. The character need not be the lead. Observe how the character is portrayed, and how others relate to the individual. Discuss how the movie portrays disability, and what messages it sends. What are the attitudes about the individual and his/her disability, and how important is the character? Is their disability gratuitous, integral to the story, or incidental to the story?
https://www.upworthy.com/a-hollywood-film-about-disability-has-a-lot-of-people-feeling-left-out
