FUNNY PECULIAR (Little Cog)****

 

By Sophie

Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYwmTl7RSrM

Link with BSL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9k7of6EkY8

Link with audio description: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg1j53PuDSY

Available until: Unknown

Warnings: The film includes strong language, sexual references, examples of disability discrimination, eating disorder, isolation, references to mental health and self harm. Age recommendation 18+

This is a film about four disabled women, played by four disabled female actors. Being female and disabled myself, I thought I would connect with the play, but I actually felt rather alienated by it. I’m sure that was more due to my ridiculously high expectations than anything else as the writing and acting were excellent and there was absolutely nothing in the play that was wrong – but while there were some parts of the play which I identified with very strongly, there were other things which were a long way outside my experience.

The four characters in the film - Zsa Zsa, Blanche, Cuba and Raquelle – were great characters, brilliantly-written by Vici Wreford-Sinnott and brilliantly performed by actors Liz Carr, Mandy Colleran, Bea Webster and Vici herself. They are all likeable characters who present their stories, their problems and their very reasonable frustrations well. They share a lot of stories about the ways in which they’re different from others and need a bit of help and understanding – and the ways in which we’re all the same.

The film is presented as a series of monologues. The characters don’t interact, or not directly, though it’s possible the Bingo invitation which so insults Zsa Zsa comes from Blanche, who sees it as a fun and sociable activity for everyone. They take it in turns to tell a bit more about themselves and what’s going on in their lives at that moment. Their disabilities are always there, but there is so much more to their lives than that. They are all likeable, successful women who have a place in society.

But no film can cover all the problems that are faced by the very large number of disabled people in the world and a lot of the problems I’ve faced weren’t covered in the film. A lot of the things I have struggled with, like getting a job, making friends and forming relationships, aren’t a problem for the characters. My impression is that they all have jobs and friendships. At least two of them are in relationships and the others weren’t outwardly feeling the absence of one.

I think the film is trying to give the important message that disabled people can have jobs, friends and relationships. They can achieve things and be respected as individuals. That they can be part of society. But that doesn’t happen to all of us.

The characters in this film talk about the discrimination they’d faced, and it is terrible. The ignorant comments. The difficulty in understanding that a ‘simple’ act like getting in a car to go to a studio could endanger someone’s life. The well-intentioned but deeply insulting kindness. The people who stop seeing the disability, which sounds like a wonderful compliment on paper, but if you don’t see our disabilities, then you’re not actually seeing us. It’s not the only thing about us and it’s not always the most important thing, but having your disability forgotten or ignored or discounted because people don’t see it… that’s a scary position to be in. The lack of an accessible toilet… I’m sure there have been times when all of us have needed to visit a bathroom urgently, but imagine getting to the bathroom (which you often can’t hurry to if you’re disabled) and finding… something you can’t physically use.

But some of the worst discrimination I’ve faced is from the organisations that are supposed to help, like the DWP and the NHS mental health team, and this wasn’t discussed in the film. It’s arguably the most backhanded compliment ever when the DWP denies you benefits because you’re too nicely-dressed (have they not heard of ebay? You can get a really nice dress for 99p. And sometimes, a decision to dress in a particular way is because there is something wrong rather than because there isn’t. I feel like it’s bad enough to force people to be in my presence at all. The least I can do is give them a nice piece of clothing to look at). It’s very difficult when the mental health team laugh at you for aspiring to complete a first aid course. They think a nice cup of coffee in a coffee shop once a week might be at a more suitable level. (I got 97% on my first aid course, but I still haven’t been to the coffee shop. It seems a very expensive way of aggravating my IBS… but it’s difficult to persuade the mental health team to believe in your health problems and disabilities when they already know you have anxiety.) And when your therapist tells you there’s no place in the world for people like you… there isn’t really anywhere to go from there.

The play is supposed to bring disabled women together, but I think part of the problem is that I don’t think of myself as a disabled woman. I think of myself as a disabled person. Women have always made it clear that I’m not one of them and perhaps because of that, I don’t feel like one of them. But mainly, I don’t like the idea of being a disabled woman because what about the disabled men? It’s often the men who are expected to be physically and mentally strong and disabled men often struggle physically and/or emotionally. I feel very uncomfortable about disconnecting men from my disabled experience and would rather be part of a disabled community that includes all genders.

So the film didn’t really help me, but let’s look at the positives.

I think as a film, Funny Peculiar is excellent. It has good characters, four clear narratives and great performances. As a piece of entertainment, it works. I think for people who aren’t disabled but want to know a bit more about disability, this film would be very educational and very valuable. I think for disabled people who think they might be able to do the things the characters can do, this film would be very inspiring. For all these reasons, I am glad the film exists. Even if it just helps one person, it will have achieved something very important, and I believe it will help a lot more people than that.