I thought this was going to be kinda dumb, and gimmicky, and it was, BUT as it turns out, as a disabled person myself, I rather enjoyed much of it.
I know what it's like to build your entire life, your every MOMENT, around your disease and its symptoms; and how hard it is to explain what that feels like to someone who hasn't lived the reality. I know what it's like when others need to accommodate you and how humiliating it can be. I know what it's like to have the acceptance and love of family, and the judgements of strangers. And I know what it's like to try to build and maintain a relationship when this disability is looming above you. Because you're asking someone else to, by proxy, be disabled as well. Because they will also need to change their lives, be aware every day of some disease that neither of you asked for, but must face nonetheless.
At the end of the day, it's an average rom-com. Nothing particularly special in terms of story beats, musical score, dialogue, etc. And our main character definitely makes some questionable choices. No one is particularly fleshed out here.
But what IS special is that it's about a disabled person. We don't get many - if any - romantic comedies about people like us. Whatever your disability is, it doesn't really matter, because you'll find something to relate to.
I won't give away spoilers but I will say this - the short scene that plays after some of the credits roll very well represented what it is like when you are in a long term relationship with one partner disabled and the other able-bodied.
Everyone deserves love. No one should feel they don't deserve it or can't have it because of conditions they can't control. And this film is a lovely little reminder of that.
I know what it's like to build your entire life, your every MOMENT, around your disease and its symptoms; and how hard it is to explain what that feels like to someone who hasn't lived the reality. I know what it's like when others need to accommodate you and how humiliating it can be. I know what it's like to have the acceptance and love of family, and the judgements of strangers. And I know what it's like to try to build and maintain a relationship when this disability is looming above you. Because you're asking someone else to, by proxy, be disabled as well. Because they will also need to change their lives, be aware every day of some disease that neither of you asked for, but must face nonetheless.
At the end of the day, it's an average rom-com. Nothing particularly special in terms of story beats, musical score, dialogue, etc. And our main character definitely makes some questionable choices. No one is particularly fleshed out here.
But what IS special is that it's about a disabled person. We don't get many - if any - romantic comedies about people like us. Whatever your disability is, it doesn't really matter, because you'll find something to relate to.
I won't give away spoilers but I will say this - the short scene that plays after some of the credits roll very well represented what it is like when you are in a long term relationship with one partner disabled and the other able-bodied.
Everyone deserves love. No one should feel they don't deserve it or can't have it because of conditions they can't control. And this film is a lovely little reminder of that.