After writing and directing one of the all-time surprises in Best Picture history in 2021’s CODA, Sian Heder finally returns to the big screen with another story of perseverance for the disabled community.
Being Heumann chronicles the historic 1977 occupation of a San Francisco federal building led by disability rights activist Judith Heumann (Ruth Madeley) that sought to force the implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, America’s first major federal disability rights legislation that would provide civil rights protections and accommodations for disabled Americans.
As we watch the group of activists embark upon the fight to effect change in California and Washington regarding disability rights, it becomes clear that the power struggle expands past just disability activists versus Washington bureaucrats, but also within the activist community itself.
Judith is an extremely passionate and dogged advocate for the community who will go to any lengths in order to reach the goals she’s aiming for, but it constantly puts her at odds with others in the movement who value compassion and practicality over zealotry. Balancing her own by any means necessary attitude with the concerns of others in the community and how they may be affected by her aggressiveness works to develop Judith as an advocacy leader as she seeks to change the larger system. It’s a timely examination of the trade offs that advocacy movements often have to consider and make as our own current day movements have their own debates over the levels of moderation needed to accomplish certain goals while avoiding alienating key participants and shrinking their tents.
Being Heumann utilizes this predicament as the source of conflict for its characters outside of the main plot of the push for the change in law. It does add some emotion to the story and certainly is the impetus for the character development within the film, but it doesn’t add enough depth past a surface level arc that feels more afterschool special than compelling cinema. Likewise for the story of the development of the law itself, the story of Section 504 comes across as just the typical story of a group of regular people fighting an institution in a political or legal procedural rather than anything new or fresh. The result is a serviceable story but not one that stands out. Being Heumann does just enough to keep you invested in its story and characters but not enough to leave a lasting impression.
Image: Apple Original Films
