Changing Identities

A heartfelt and instructive documentary, Daniel Labatto's Changing Identities—narrated by Meryl Streep—focuses on an innovative art program that offers hope and a sense of personal accomplishment to people who have suffered the debilitating effects of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury or stroke. At the Art Studio, founded at a special care center in upstate New York in 1999, the goal is therapeutic only in the broadest sense (and not strictly educational either, as aides offer advice and assistance, but are not teachers per se). Instead, individuals whose lives have been altered by devastating physiological events are simply afforded the opportunity to express themselves through painting, with some even forging new identities as practicing artists. Founder Bill Richards and various staffers explain the philosophy behind the Art Studio in interview excerpts, but the real focus is on the individual participants, who overcome physical disabilities to create and then proudly exhibit their work—watching these people and hearing their own testimony regarding the efficacy of the program is what lends Changing Identities its emotional power. An engaging and uplifting documentary, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)