Dance me to my song

de Heer’s seventh feature addresses issues of obligation, accountability, need and love, through the conflicted relationship between a severely physically disabled young woman, Julia, and her abusive, short-tempered and lonely carer, Madelaine. Like Heather Rose, the actor inflicted with cerebral palsy that plays her, Julia is confined to a wheelchair and is able to communicate only through a voice-synthesizer. Nevertheless, much to Madelaine’s chagrin, she succeeds in developing a close friendship with Eddie, a man she meets on the street. But Julia wants love and sex, not just companionship, and the two women become locked in a battle for Eddie’s attentions. Rose’s participation in the film, both as its lead and as a co-writer, and the unflinching focus on the minutiae of her labourous and painful daily routine, brings it into the realm of documentary. As in his earlier films ‘Bad Boy Bubby’ and ‘The Quiet Room’, de Heer again focuses on a central character who succeeds in battling against totally inconceivable odds to overcome their victimhood. Cast includes: Heather Rose, Joey Kennedy, John Brumpton, Rena Owen.