By Analaya
Sunday Xpress
Published on April 27, 2008

Cinematic portrayals of the handicapped haven't improved in 20 years, a filmmaker discovers

In her book "Nang Hoom Kra Douk", Opal Prapavadee demonstrates just how much modern filmmakers lean on stereotypes of the physically handicapped.

The study of 20 films from the past two decades, she says, reveals that "the Disabled have for a long time been not only shunned by society, they've been made ugly".

The freelance writer and documentary filmmaker works with people on society's margins, including migrants. She knows that anyone who's regarded as "pitiful" will get pity - but not an equal opportunity.

Opal sat down to watch a film from each of the last 20 years and see if there was any improvement in the way Disabled people were portrayed.

"I found that the answer is 'no'," she says, "especially in Thailand."

Poj Anont's 2004 "Ur Rur" was, she lamented, no more than a cinematic rendition of "Sangthong", the well-known tale from Thai literature in which the handicapped have to show that they can do something extraordinary before they're accepted.

She found it interesting that even movies coming from the most developed countries have a skewed perspective. These include the 2002 American production "I Am Sam", and "My Left Foot", made in Ireland in 1989. The Disabled are portrayed as either being of lower social status or unrealistically clever.

In few of the films Opal screened were there any realistic portrayals or positive indications of how society's view might be corrected.

The exceptions, conveying constructive messages, were 1991's "A Scene at Sea" from Japan, 1994's "Forrest Gump" from the US, 1999's "The Color of Paradise" from Iran, and 2002's "Oasis" from South Korea.

"When you're watching a movie," Opal suggests, "remember that there may be people you're seeing who are being victimised."

"Nang Hoom Kra Douk" by Opal Prapavadee costs Bt170. Get a copy by calling (02) 951 0830 or visiting www.HealthyAbility.com.

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About those exceptions

>> "A Scene at Sea" - Director Takeshi Kitano offers a simple story about a deaf garbage collector, played by Claude Maki, who is determined to learn how to surf - and does so almost at the expense of the girl he loves.

>> "Oasis" - Winner of five awards at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, Lee Chang-dong's movie stretches viewers' comfort zones to the limit with a tale of a mentally disturbed young man who loves a woman with cerebral palsy.

>> "The Color of Paradise"

Majid Majidi tells the story of a boy whose inability to see the world only enhances his ability to feel its powerful forces.