Art Imitates Life
Documentary 'Life Itself' looks at ways people
with disabilities express themselves
Lord Martine, SF Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, October 5, 2001
Photos by: Lance Iverson, SF Chronicle
|
|
Inspired by three visionary
individuals with disabilities, Todd Herman, 40, and Francis
Kohler, 39, four years ago began producing a 52-minute
documentary titled "Life Itself."That film, produced under
the auspices of their bite-size company, Life Like Films,
premieres this weekend at the California College of Arts and
Crafts Theater. Both men are facilitators at Creativity
Explored, a nonprofit organization that nurtures expression
through art and writing among people with disabilities.
"Life Itself" grew from another film project Herman and
Kohler began in 1996 called "Love to Me," which was intended
to explore what love means to people. "But once we began
interviewing at C.E.," Herman says, "we realized the people
here were much more compelling to us." So they switched the
focus to profile the lives of Michael Bernard Loggins, 40,
Sue Chan, 41, and Allura Fong, 27.
Loggins, Chan and Fong are among
the dozens of people of all backgrounds, ages and
disabilities - from private homes, group homes and long-term
care facilities - who attend one of Creativity Explored's
two San Francisco studios at 3214 16th St. and 2797 16th
St., which were founded in 1983 by Florence and Elias Katz.
Loggins expresses his creativity through writing; Chan and
Fong via paint. Kohler says they wanted to create a film
that captured the spirit of Creativity Explored. "And unlike
a textbook, the film grew organically," he says. "It's
poetic - almost accidentally."
Weaving a mosaic of filming and editing techniques and
points of view, the result is a black-and-white short
derived from conscious and unconscious influences. "We had
elements digitized on many different systems," Herman says.
"And we were constantly moving stuff around without really
knowing the right way to do it. So as a result, there's this
degeneration of quality. We began to really enjoy that
grainy, filmic look. It felt raw and direct, like this
place. . . . In the film, there are a couple of frame
drop-outs. Well, in my day here, there are 'frame drop-outs'
all the time."
Working with artists who face special challenges calls for
patience. Herman explains why consistency is especially
important: "It doesn't matter how many cars crash on the
corner, or how many people overdose, or what kind of global
disasters we are incurring. There's always, at certain
points in the day, someone here who needs his drawing of a
bird nailed up on the wall. The artists here are dependent
on you."
Creativity Explored provides a
supportive place where people can satisfy their need for
self-expression. Although healing and self-esteem are
inevitable, therapy is not the modus operandi. "We're not
art therapists," Kohler says. "It's about finding what
people tend to do and, in a way, direct it. We aren't trying
to 'fix' anyone."
Loggins describes what he likes best about C.E.: "I like to
write and draw about things that I feel, of the past and
holidays and stuff like that." He likes to party, too, he
says. "The center," Kohler says, "is sometimes, the most
positive, safe, joyful place for them to be in their life."
"Beyond that, we tried (in the film) to create a
cross-section of these people's lives," Herman adds.
"Showing not only what they do here at C.E., but at home,
too."
Out of many good candidates to feature, the filmmakers chose
Loggins as the narrator and main focus in the film because,
Kohler says, "He seemed like a great guide. He's articulate,
funny and super poetic. And we felt like he'd be a good
liaison between the so-called world of the nondisabled and
the disabled. " "They talked me into it with the beauty of
words," Loggins says. "And, I'm not shy. There's nothing to
be shy about - nothing to be ashamed of." Herman and Kohler
chose Chan because she lives in a reputable long-term care
facility, and Fong because she lives at home with her family
who provide her with high-quality care. They wanted to show
viewers the diversity in lifestyles.
There are many eye-opening segments in "Life Itself." One,
called "Howling and Laughing," where C.E. artists let it all
go, was particularly so. "It was just another day, just
goofing around with the camera," Kohler explains. "We wanted
to have some fun. Allura chimed in first, then it was
pandemonium. We wanted there to be something in the movie
that would be representative of that kind of experience.
It's not all serious." Herman adds, "Play is really
important here, making contact."
A lot can be learned from this film, but its makers hope
that the idea of perseverance prevails. Herman says: " 'Life
Itself' shows a guy who's been through a lot - and his
struggles to keep his heart open."
The filmmakers were persistent as well. They began raising
money for the film in February 1997. The final cost landed
at about $20,000.
Insight is to be had, too. "I'd like anyone who has ever
abused a person with disabilities to see this film so that
maybe they could think about it differently," Kohler says.
"Michael, for instance, has been in situations on the street
where people have misjudged him for various factors: the way
he's dressed, the color of his skin, the way he's behaving,
his mode of speech. I hope 'Life Itself' dispels some
stereotypes."
Loggins has just one wish: "I want people to learn the
importance of expressing your emotions so you can feel
better later on, in the future."
E-mail Lord Martine at martine@sfchronicle.com
|
