Tell Them You Love Me

From the beginning, it was made clear that, to tell this story, we had to present all angles and involve all those who were part of it. Newark ethics professor originally convicted in 2015 of sexually assaulting Derrick Johnson, a nonverbal man with cerebral palsy. The two met in 2009 through his brother, John Johnson, a student of Stubblefield's. After John Johnson approached the professor, then 39, about his brother's condition, Stubblefield offered to help Derrick Johnson, then 28, with his communication skills. He soon learned to use a keyboard with an LED screen to type and, with Stubblefield's assistance, began taking a university class. The film explores the unsettling case of Dr. Anna Stubblefield, a white Rutgers University philosophy professor and disability theorist who began working with Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal Black man with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, using a scientifically questionable method to help him communicate. That method, called Facilitated Communication, involves supporting the hand of a person with motor skill issues so they can point to letters on a board or tap letters on a keyboard to express thoughts.

It's important to remember that as caregivers to a severely disabled person, the government subsidies are maximized. Therefore reallly, there are no incentives for the family to seek out further beneficial aides, educational assistance or anything else that will help D. J. to use or try to various ways to communicate because it will just rock the boat. They've been given all they need in terms of functional assessment, which is D. J.'s life sentence of severe disability and intelligence of a toddler, so they feel no guilt in not trying to help him.

The other thing, it's pretty clear that Anna was in a position of power and trust and made a bad choice, a series of bad choices. And deserved to be held to account. However, I don't doubt her feelings and that D. J. shared them, and that their intimacy was consensual.

Further, it's a very difficult film but it's important. It sparks thoughtful consideration of many aspects at the intersection of race, disability and sexual consent. I do hope we all open our hearts and minds to the hidden lessons and wish all parties involved many blessings.

This documentary really threw me for a loop. I went into it expecting a classic cut-and-dry true crime doc, but it ended up leaving me with an empty feeling in my throat. This, because either way the cookie crumbles, someone is suffering.

It began with a great story of a man and a woman working on the man's ability to communicate, and overturned into something completely different.

I really loved the way this was filmed, and how it really gives you, the viewer, a chance to see where you fall in the (unfortunate) black and white world of disability. I hope it generates more awareness of the polarizing effect so many people with disabilities face.

"Tell Them You Love Me" is guaranteed to blow your mind. This thought-provoking documentary tells the extraordinary and controversial story of Anna Stubblefield and Derrick Johnson, challenging our perceptions of disability and consent. Anna, an esteemed university professor, claimed to unlock Derrick's mind from his body through facilitated communication, sparking a complex and shocking relationship that led to a sensational criminal trial. The film skillfully uses exclusive footage and interviews to create a narrative that is as riveting as it is nuanced, exploring deep themes of communication, race, and sexuality.

"Tell Them You Love Me" sucks you in from the very start, making it impossible to take your eyes off the screen. The way it's filmed captures the raw and unexpected turns of this fascinating case in human psychology, offering a unique perspective on true crime. It draws you into a story that is both shocking and profoundly interesting. The documentary not only highlights the ethical and legal dilemmas faced by those involved but also raises important questions about the nature of love and agency in the context of severe disability. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in the complexities of human psychology.

Stop attributing nonsensical gibberish to your clear malice which you clearly meant to inflict, AND STILL seem intent on believing. What Anne did to this man with the comprehension of a child is absolutely disgusting and beyond my ability to comprehend. What she did was clear and intentional manipulation by way of Florence Nightengale Syndrome- falling in love with someone you care for, but went into territory of illegality and manipulation.

I'll admit to having a pang of knowledge the minute it was cast on the screen that there was no admission of FC in the trial- while it's largely viewed as junk science by many of the prominent academics in society, it was still a crux of this case and should have been allowed to be heard and shown in order to shine a spotlight on her fraud. Rather than allowing her to manipulate his supposed conversation and intelligence, it should have been performed with Derrick by an outside source, accompanied by a double blind example as shown to see if he was capable or was obviously being manipulated to convey what she wanted. That her case was overturned and she took the option to plead to a lesser charge shows she knew what would be the outcome. Of course her mother and her friend took her side in all of this- but where were the people who were in Derricks corner, besides his mom and brother?

It's absolutely appalling that she still sees absolutely nothing wrong with what she did and what her behavior has left him with. It's quite clear merely by witnessing his mother discuss the need for medication due to his excessive masturbatory practices after Anne's disgusting behavior- how? Because his brain hasn't experienced any sort of pubescent behavior. Thereby introducing her deviancy into his subconscious, he began experiencing something unfamiliar, but pleasing. So as a result, he began behaving in ways that simulated the pleasure in other ways.

It's beyond insulting how these so-called 'white knights' think they're so necessary in saving black culture- and I've no doubt Anne pictured herself on the whitest horse, cloaked in goodness and godliness to somehow save Derrick- yet in her blatant disregard for facts and evidence, saw only her needs and her elevation as the most important factor. She was willing to completely disregard her own family-(husband, children) career and status to be seen as the heroine in her own story.

The most confounding part of all of this though- does anyone realize that Anne fell in love with herself? It's classic psychotic narcissist syndrome- she loves her own image so much that she projected it onto Derrick. That's beyond sick.