There’s a lot I’m afraid of, as a disabled woman. Sometimes the fears and anxieties are tied into things I take a lot of pride in, like being able to have a job and live relatively independently. Sometimes, they’re not as rational to an able-bodied person, like when I build to an emotional breakdown over knocking down a flowerpot while trying to water it or over needing to ask for help for a household task most people can perform without a second thought. Perhaps my greatest lingering fear, though, is that someone might come along one day and decide to make me a victim. It doesn’t really matter what I might become a victim of—whatever comes to your mind first is as equally likely, statistically, and anxiety inducing as the next, and in some cases may have already happened. It’s a sticky thought path to venture down, and one perfectly suited to exploring in the horror genre, though not one I often see explored through the lens of Cerebral Palsy.
Enter “Able Bodies”, written by Benjamin Roberts and directed by Daniel Lane Baker.
Daniel (Daniel Aaron Harris), a man with cerebral palsy, lives a fairly quiet life drawing portraits and working as a busboy at the local bar. While complicated by the challenges inherent in living with a body that actively makes simple tasks more difficult, he is never shown to be anything less than comfortably independent. And, should he drop something on accident, he has some otherworldly backup to help keep him safe. When he is accosted by Rich (Kinon Keplinger) and Angel (Shannon Walton) in the street one day while on his way to work, their awkward encounter quickly escalates to something far more dangerous, trapping Daniel in a position where his only way to safety is through the help of his ghostly partner (Natalie Jones).
“Able Bodies” is a bit of a difficult watch thanks to both the situation set up and the acting of everyone involved. Daniel Aaron Harris’ shifts from vague discomfort at his original run in with Rich to outright terror when they collide again is excellent for capturing the unfiltered fear that comes from being propelled into a situation you do not want at the hands of someone stronger than you. And while the situation itself is perhaps more extreme, the point at its heart—disabled people frequently being manhandled by an able-bodied counterpart so the disabled party might conform to what the able-bodied person wants from them—is all too real and common.
On the flip side of that point, and part of what makes “Able Bodies” such a compelling watch, Daniel is portrayed as a fully independent person with a house and a job where no one gapes at him for the way he moves or shames him for the way he has to do things. He’s given the space to do his work at his own pace without outside interference telling him how he should be doing it, and he navigates the world in a way that is comfortable and reasonable for him. It’s a fairly small thing, and certainly one that goes unconsidered for able-bodied people, but it is nevertheless nice to see a disabled person living a life like his on screen.
The most unusual and revealing thing about “Able Bodies” is its varying plot synopses. On the one hand, the press release states that Daniel’s relationship with a ghost protects him from a ruthless home invasion. This is, naturally, the closest to actual events as you can get without spoiling the 12 minutes of anxiety and dread at the heart of it. Meanwhile, IMDb and Letterboxd describe it as “Longing for a relationship with a beautiful woman, a man with cerebral palsy becomes a target for her abusive boyfriend.” While accurate in part, this one also could not be further from the truth. I am not here to criticize them to the point of revealing the full scope of the plot. I just find it fascinating enough to mention that reading the short that way, while not impossible, does require a bit more mental gymnastics than the story presents. The reality presented in the film is much more layered and terrifying than a man simply longing after another man’s girlfriend. To watch “Able Bodies” and come away with that kind of idea requires a level of projection that, ironically, plays right into the hands of the story’s attempt to examine the insidious nature of ableism.
Catch “Able Bodies” at this year’s Fantaspoa International Film Festival from April 20 through May 8, 2022. It’s guaranteed to leave you puzzling over its deceptively simple story and characters long after it ends.
Tags: Able Bodies, Ableism, Benjamin Roberts, Daniel Aaron Harris, Daniel Lane Baker, Disability, Home Invasion, Horror, Kinon Keplinger, Natalie Jones, Shannon Walton, Short, Short Film
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