Being Heumann Review: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Being Heumann is a warm, funny, and rousing biopic with authentic casting and a fierce lead. Some scenes are too talky, and a few moments are too obvious, but the heart wins.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Biographical Drama
Language: English
Director: Sian Heder
Cast: Ruth Madeley, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Patrick Thornton, Madeline Delp, Andrew Pilkington, Dylan O’Brien, Ray Fisher, Rob Delaney
Some names fit a story so well that it feels planned. Judith Heumann fought to make politicians see the humanity of people with disabilities, and her memoir is called Being Heumann. CODA director Sian Heder has turned that book into a biopic. It reaches Apple TV on 13 November.
The film opens with a failed street protest in 1972, then jumps to 1977. By then, Judy, played by Ruth Madeley, who is a wheelchair user herself, is part of a busy coalition. She and her fellow protesters are angry at Joseph Califano Jr., played by Mark Ruffalo, the head of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
He refuses to sign a key equality law known as Section 504. The group includes people who are blind, Deaf, or paralysed, along with allies from queer and racial justice groups, such as the Black Panthers. Outside the office in San Francisco, Judy calls for a sit-in until the law is signed.
Here is where the film gets interesting. Her fellow protesters soon learn that Judy packed a toothbrush. She planned to stay overnight all along and never told them. That makes her self-absorbed in a way that is oddly fascinating.
As the occupation goes on, her sharp, stubborn side slowly shows deep insecurity, and her colleagues push back on her methods. Newcomer Kitty Cone, played by Madeline Delp, is one of them. The arguments that follow are among the most entertaining parts of the film. The real sit-in lasted nearly four weeks, and the film shows many of its challenges.
The casting is the film’s biggest strength. Most of the ensemble are relative unknowns, and their own disabilities match those of their characters. This gives the film a rare honesty. The actors do not have to “perform” disability, so they bring easy, natural realism to every scene.
Andrew Pilkington is a standout as Hale Zukas, a nonverbal activist who spells out his words slowly on a board with a pointer on his helmet. His wit is sharp. One of his lines says disability is not a tragedy, but a tremendous hassle. Michael Patrick Thornton, who plays Ed Roberts, has a small part, but he makes it unforgettable.
There is also a deeper point to the casting. Section 504 is not only about ramps and interpreters. It is about equal access to jobs and education. Many of these roles might once have gone to able-bodied actors with longer résumés.
By giving them to disabled actors, the film does what it asks the world to do. Well-known names like Dylan O’Brien, Ray Fisher, and Rob Delaney play allies, and they step back to let the main cast shine, which feels like allyship in itself.
Heder also makes small changes in how she shoots. The camera sits lower to suit wheelchair users, and the frame stretches wider to fit everyone in. As in CODA, she tells a familiar story with a slightly new shape. The film does not hide the full lives of its characters either, including their love lives, so the sit-in feels lively and even a bit wild.
It is not perfect. Many scenes stop so that characters can explain their views in detail, which can feel talky. A few moments are too obvious, like a Ramones song played over slow-motion wheelchair shots. The film also will not teach you every fine point of disability law. Still, it works as a crowd-pleaser, and that is something Heder does very well.
If you want more to watch this week, our Allen review covers a Netflix alien friend story that starts sweet and turns heavy-handed. For some action, try our Never Surrender review, and for a cosy holiday pick, read our The Christmas Switch review.
Being Heumann is warm, funny, and full of purpose. Ruth Madeley is remarkable, and the film proves how much great work happens when the right people get the right roles.
Being Heumann is in theatres now and arrives on Apple TV on 13 November.