"Imagine
being trapped inside your body... Imagine being
set free."
Many
paraplegics/quadriplegics love the feeling of
being in the water...it's a physical sensation,
a sense of freedom. On land, we cannot walk but
in the water it is as if we can dance.
"The Waterdance" is one of the most realistic
films ever released dealing with the subject of
adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury.
This realism is no surprise when you consider
that the film is written and co-directed by Neal
Jimenez, himself paralyzed in an accident in
1984.
The film initially connected with me almost
solely because of the seemingly cosmic
circumstances of the film's plot. First, the
film's central character, Joel Garcia (Eric
Stoltz), is a writer (as was I when I went from
walking with crutches to a wheelchair).
Secondly, when the accident occurs Joel is
involved with Anna, his publisher and married
girlfriend (played by Helen Hunt). Finally, in
the film Joel's actions offered mirrored my own
actions...how he responded to help, how he
responded to psychiatry, how he responded to
poor treatment and writing and embarrassment and
relationships. Even Joel's appearance was much
like mine...a receding hairline, goatee and
numerous scars that give a rugged yet decent
look.
For these reasons, my first viewing of "The
Waterdance" was an intensely emotional
experience. It was a cathartic film in that it
allowed a processing of all the emotions that
surrounded my own disability, my own
insecurities and fears and dreams.
"The Waterdance" features stellar performances
by its entire cast. Stoltz, as Garcia, gives a
performance unseen by him anywhere else. It was
this film that made me truly realize how good
Stoltz could be with the right material. Stoltz
has always struggled a bit due to his rather
flat affect, however, in this film he uses it to
his advantage...whether it's a quiet rage or
intense desperation, Stoltz is on target here
with every aspect of his character including,
largely, the physical acting involved in
portraying a character with a spinal cord
injury.
Likewise, as his girlfriend, Helen Hunt gives
the best performance of her career (including
"As Good As It Gets"). Hunt has always been good
at playing the girl next door type, however,
this role throws in the challenge of the affair,
her coping with this man's disability and even
the sexual aspects of being in this
relationship. It's a stunning performance,
wonderfully underplayed with a mix of sadness,
frustration, longing and devotion. On an
incredibly shallow note, a scene of Anna dealing
with a catheter during a romantic encounter with
Joel followed by a butt shot had me smiling for
days. :)
The film takes place largely in a rehab center,
and it deals without hesitation in all areas of
these people's lives. From the opening moments
of dealing with one's own disability to being
surrounded with a wide variety of successes and
failures...to dealing with the changing dynamics
of a relationship following a new
disability...to trying to sort out "Can I still
do my work?"...to the anger and frustration of
being in a rehab center for so long and dealing
with a medical system that can save you but
treats you like a piece of meat in the
process...every aspect of this film plays
remarkably true to life.
The film also features an outstanding
performance by Wesley Snipes, and I'd say once
again possibly the performance of his career. As
Raymond, Snipes is, perhaps, the most hopeless
of the bunch. He's losing everything (friends,
wife, child), and often sabotages his own
success through lack of self-care. He ends up in
a nursing home at one point, but like many
individuals who suffer a spinal cord injury, the
pay off for becoming a victim seems greater than
the idea of fighting for independence and/or
fighting for a life he's not even sure he wants.
The film addresses even the legal aspects of
disability and injury in the character of Bloss,
played by William Forsythe. Bloss may well be
set for life due to the accident, however, in
very vivid imagery he has to come face to face
with the fact that he may have been, at least
partially, responsible for the accident that
left him paralyzed. Forsythe's performance as a
bitter, racist biker is powerful and intense yet
remains oddly sympathetic. Likewise, William
Young, Elizabeth Pena and Tony Genaro all offer
finely tuned performances in smaller roles.
What caused "The Waterdance" to fall out of my
#1 slot? As time moved on and I began to be able
to watch the film with a more critical eye, I
became acutely aware of the occasional
disconnection in the plot line...at times it
worked, but at times it didn't. There were also
scenes that seemed to be intentionally included
solely for dramatic impact rather than a true
flow with the story...an example would be a
confrontation that Joel and Bloss have with the
hospital's telephone operators. It felt
unnecessarily histrionic and completely
disruptive to the atmosphere of the film.
When I choose a favorite film, it's more than a
film that is technically perfect. It's more than
a film that makes me think or feel or even act.
It's a film that, somehow, manages to change
me...it influences my life on some level and
rather than make me feel...it changes the way I
feel. Rather than making me think, my favorite
films change the way I think.
"The Waterdance" was, and remains, a
life-changing film for me because it embraced
the experience of disability on a level that I'd
not seen before. It didn't portray us as heroes
or victims, but as human beings trying to live,
laugh and love like everyone else. Jimenez
acknowledged that the film was based upon his
own experiences, and it shows. The commitment of
the cast also shows in giving the most precise,
truly outstanding performances I've seen from
Stoltz, Hunt and Snipes.
Ever so often, I crave being in the water. I
crave the freedom within my body to feel whole
and complete. I crave the feeling that I can
dance. It is during these times that I find
myself sitting down in front of my television
and watching "The Waterdance." It reminds me
that life isn't about being "able" to walk, but
about being willing to dance.
© Written by
Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
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