Handicap

Showcasing some of the leading talents among disabled artists and film-makers from around the world, the 6th annual Disability Film Festival returned to London's National Film Theatre last December, and what a show! Indeed, some of the films and animations that were shown did not focus especially on disability as their main issue.

Such views are indicative of a wider ignorance that can make it even harder for survivors to work in the industry with some people discriminated against if their health history becomes known.

Many of the films could be seen as a positive response to these skewed and damaging views. In this, film-makers with disabilities do bring a distinction to their work, a genuine understanding of the issues involved. That people may categorize such pieces as only minority 'disability' films highlights the narrow-focused, discriminatory appreciations that these artists fight against.

Several engaging shorts stood out as examples against this: This French short, "Handicap", brilliantly directed by Lewis-Martin Soucy, is an amusing riff on a steamy sofa seduction. The beguiling Natacha tempts Mike with cosily candle-lit champagne and strawberries, turning up the heat as she starts to talk dirty. Thing is, Natacha's deaf - so her male translator nonchalantly interprets for her from across the room, much to Mike's shock and unease. Genuinely funny, the film is a serious deliberation on relationships and supported living, communicating and listening.

This one-gag comic short has a viciously nasty sense of humor that continually catches us off guard, even though it's so simple that we feel stupid for laughing! It's a sexy night in for Mike and Natasha (Mineo and Ducey)... and Natasha's interpreter (Berger). She's deaf, so he's sitting in the corner telling Mike what she's trying to say. The problem is that as things get steamy, Mike discovers that Natasha likes to talk dirty. Which can be a bit unnerving when the words are spoken by a nerd in the corner. "You make me so hot!" to which Mike replies, "Shut your fingers!"... Filmed with a gleefully mischievous wit, the film is hilarious and simply inspired.

From the moment the opening credits roll on this short film, the scene is set for seduction. Candles are lit, champagne is poured, strawberries are on offer.

Natascha is hoping to get lucky with Mike (Jean-Marc Mineo). And Mike? He's wishing it wasn't a case of two's company but three's a crowd on his sofa.

"And you thought blind dating was edgy - try deaf dating!" The film's playful tagline all but tells us that Natascha is deaf. But when the very feminine Natascha signs to Mike while kissing him, we're still very surprised when it's a male voice that crashes in and says, "I like you". It's as jarring to us as it is to her would-be lover. And that's when - thanks to Lewis-Martin Soucy's brilliant direction - you realize that Fred, her sign language interpreter, has been there all along.

Voyeur, interloper, nerdy perve, Fred (Eric Berger) sits silent and unnoticed on a chair behind the sofa until Natascha signs. Then his voice is all we can hear.

Natascha gets turned on and begins to talk dirty, but all Mike can focus on is his growing discomfort with the three-way access situation, and the deep brown voice of her interpretor.

OK, so you have to suspend your disbelief a little - in a real life situation, Mike would have shown Fred the door. She's beautiful, she's really into him, but here it's verbal foreplay-interrupts.

Beneath the witty, brilliantly-scripted comedy, there are some serious questions posed that many disabled people will appreciate. Fred's presence touches on the issues of relationships, independent living and sexual love. Love me? Love my carer ... make love to me while my facilitator, um, watches / gets off on it?

At its heart, Handicap is all about language and communication. Natascha is deaf, but Mike is the one who cannot hear. Yet, if he were listening with more than just his auditory sense he couldn't fail to hear her. And that's a testament to Caroline Ducey, who is wonderfully expressive as an actress. She emotes joy, desire, frustration and sorrow beautifully, without saying a single word. Hardly surprising from an actress of her caliber. A veteran of some twenty movies, Caroline Ducey was named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars in 2000' by European Film Promotion.

Handicap is a gem of a piece: a very funny, beautifully shot, emotional short film which I adored. In fact, I loved it so much that I'm willing to overlook the totally non-disabled cast and crew.

A sign language coach is listed in the credits, and I'm curious: could anyone tell me if Caroline Ducey is signing what she's meant to be signing?

If you miss Handicap this time round, it will probably be coming to a festival near you soon; this marvelous short film has already graced fourteen of them!

Handicap: you may hate the word, but you'll love the film.

Last October the Twelfth Raindance Film Festival held its annual celebration of the best talent in independent film-making, from low/no budget shorts to sophisticated indie blockbusters.

The Raindance Festival Shorts DVD showcases the best of the shorts on offer. Two very entertaining comedies provide easily enjoyable moments amongst the more arty and obscure shorts.

Handicap, a French-made short, begins as a typically Gaelic romance brimming with warm candle light and erotic tension after a woman settles with her beau in her apartment after a dinner date. As the couple begin to get more amorous, they find themselves in an absurdly funny situation as the woman becomes compelled to talk dirty. It is hard to describe the film without giving away the joke but the film is a clever, hilarious treat.

Inventive stories painting different moods, conveyed with striking images and engaging dialogue all pumped out within the short time frame make Best of Twelfth Raindance Film Festival Shorts an absolute must have for filmmakers, and film lovers alike. The diversity of the creative talent presented means that there is something for every viewer to appreciate here.