Being Michelle is an extraordinary journey through the life of a deaf and autistic woman who endured incarceration and abuse in a system that failed to accommodate her needs. The documentary follows Michelle's transformative story when she encounters Kim Law, a blind volunteer life coach conducting classes in prison, who agrees to become Michelle’s legal guardian.
Together, outside the confines of incarceration, Kim and Michelle navigate the challenging process of unraveling Michelle's traumatic past and her harrowing experiences within the criminal justice system. The film captures the powerful dynamics between Kim and Michelle as they work towards understanding and healing. Kim's support becomes a catalyst for Michelle to discover her voice and strength. Throughout the narrative, Michelle's artwork serves as a poignant expression of past trauma and a tool for her recovery.
Being Michelle is a spellbinding documentary. Both the style and the narrative capture the viewer’s attention, and the focus of the film on the various intersections of gender, ability, and the justice system is as informative as it is artful. Michelle’s story is heartbreaking and hopeful, full of contradictions and complications that even those who dislike documentaries will be drawn to. We clearly see the blatant injustices Michelle has faced her whole life and the blasé attitudes of the justice system towards these breaches of human rights.
How can you try a person for a crime when they’ve never had their rights read to them in a way they can understand? How can you try a person who communicates through sign language when their hands are bound and no interpreter is provided? These and other questions arise throughout the film, making Being Michelle an outstanding choice for driving classroom discussion about disability and the justice system. Highly Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
Being Michelle would fit best in collections of disability or justice system documentaries.
What kind of film series could use this title?
Being Michelle would be an outstanding choice for a film series about women’s rights, the American justice system, or disabilities.