DANCE ME TO MY SONG
Australia, 1998, 101 minutes, Colour.
Heather Rose, John Brompton, Joey Kennedy, Danny Cowells, Catherine Fitzgerald, Rena Owen.
Directed by Rolf de Heer.
Dance Me to My Song is hard going and is, at times, quite confronting. Heather Rose, who has cerebral palsy, appeared in De Heer's Bad Boy Bubby . She then decided to write a screenplay herself, about a woman with palsy trying to manage living at home but having to cope with a temperamental carer (Joey Kennedy). By chance she befriends a stranger (John Brumpton) who encourages her independence and love. Heather Rose reveals herself to the audience, bares body and soul, so that we are invited to share a life that is hard, depends so much on others and frequently lacks dignity. This is a courageous film.
1.The title, with reference to Julia and her situation? Dance, music?
2.The contribution of Heather Rose, her writing, acting? Her ability to communicate through a voice-box?
3.Heather Rose’s cerebral palsy? Cerebral palsy in itself, its effect on the body, communication, dependence, some helplessness? The continual need to be cared for? The cerebral palsy person alone, misunderstood? Mocked, people projecting their feelings onto the sufferer? The cerebral palsy person’s anger? Being talked about? The effect on self-image, pride? A cerebral palsy adult, emotional development, intellectual development, drives? The film as a realistic portrait, written and acted by a person with cerebral palsy?
4.The authentic settings, the houses in the suburbs, the streets? Interiors and exteriors? The musical score?
5.The parallels between Julia and Madeleine? Madeleine in herself, Julia in herself? Waking for the day, ease and lack of ease, beauty and lack of beauty, eating, toilet, communication? Use and abuse? Cruelty and jealousy? Sexual drives and experience? The end?
6.Julia’s character, her day, Julia waking, the consciousness of her body, ability and inability to move, toilet facilities, the machine, food, the days passing? Her dependence on the machine? Her being literate? Lonely, the long nights? Rix and Dogface? Madeleine and Trevor? The encounters? Madeleine and the cruelty? Eddie, the water, the toilet, phoning, calling, the flowers – and the meetings with Madeleine? Julia and her talk with Eddie, the calls, ice cream, the answering machine and the dancing? Madeleine’s call, the bath, alone, drinking? Sex and Madeleine? The fire, Madeleine’s attack? The help of Rix? Eddie’s intervention? The possibilities for her life, for her character?
7.The contrast with Madeleine, as the official carer, waking, harshness, self-absorbed, cruel, her work, punishing Julia, the use of the machine, talking her down? Changes of moods? Trev? Eddie and the flowers? The call, the bath, being ousted? Johnny and the sex? Her being fired, the attack, the car and the break-in?
8.Eddie, his personality, coming from the street, his reaction to Julia, ordinary reaction? The water? Helping with the machine, the toilet? His visits? His fixing the phone? Talking, the phone calls? The flowers, dancing with Julia, the sexual encounter? His return?
9.Rix and Dogface, their friendship, characters in themselves, their relationship, drinking, support, the picnic, and the poachers?
10.Trev and Johnny, their interactions with Julia?
11.The world of carers, training, personalities, temporary and permanent? The kind temp?
12.The ice cream sequences?
13.Care, its limits, the temptation to cruelty? The carers having to learn from those they care for?
14.A film of humanity, love and communication?
