The magazine Ombres et Lumière devoted its final 2019 issue to "Cinema and Disability." Since 2017, a blog affiliated with the magazine (https://www.infilmables.fr/) has been reviewing films, documentaries, and television series on the subject released in France. Recognizing the growing number of disability-focused films, the magazine asked its readers to name the ten best films of the past decade. One striking observation: the number of fine French films on this subject far exceeds what Italian production has offered. Of the ten winning films—only one of which is non-French—some have reached Italian screens, others are available on DVD. We hope they will soon be distributed through the streaming platforms now commonplace, which are valuable for films with limited commercial prospects. In presenting the dossier, Cyril Douillet, director of Ombres et Lumière, emphasizes how cinema—as a medium of entertainment and information—can stir consciences, provoke reflection, and become a powerful tool for overcoming prejudice and cultural barriers. He underscores the significance of so many films choosing to portray the bonds between people with visible disabilities and those without, and the positive things that can emerge from such encounters for both. Though people with disabilities rarely appear in front of the camera as actors (nor behind it in the various roles filmmaking demands), Douillet notes that this is beginning to change, especially through documentaries. He singles out Hors Normes (2019) as particularly noteworthy—a hybrid of documentary and fiction by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the directors of The Intouchables. Screened as the closing film at Cannes, it was received with great acclaim. Alongside established actors such as Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb, the film cast autistic actors to tell the true story of the founders—one Jewish, one Muslim—of two organizations working with "highly complex" autistic youth in the difficult suburbs of Paris.
Here is the ranking:
The magazine Ombres et Lumière devoted its final 2019 issue to "Cinema and Disability." Since 2017, a blog affiliated with the magazine (https://www.infilmables.fr/) has been reviewing films, documentaries, and television series on the subject released in France. Recognizing the growing number of disability-focused films, the magazine asked its readers to name the ten best films of the past decade. One striking observation: the number of fine French films on this subject far exceeds what Italian production has offered. Of the ten winning films—only one of which is non-French—some have reached Italian screens, others are available on DVD. We hope they will soon be distributed through the streaming platforms now commonplace, which are valuable for films with limited commercial prospects. In presenting the dossier, Cyril Douillet, director of Ombres et Lumière, emphasizes how cinema—as a medium of entertainment and information—can stir consciences, provoke reflection, and become a powerful tool for overcoming prejudice and cultural barriers. He underscores the significance of so many films choosing to portray the bonds between people with visible disabilities and those without, and the positive things that can emerge from such encounters for both. Though people with disabilities rarely appear in front of the camera as actors (nor behind it in the various roles filmmaking demands), Douillet notes that this is beginning to change, especially through documentaries. He singles out Hors Normes (2019) as particularly noteworthy—a hybrid of documentary and fiction by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the directors of The Intouchables. Screened as the closing film at Cannes, it was received with great acclaim. Alongside established actors such as Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb, the film cast autistic actors to tell the true story of the founders—one Jewish, one Muslim—of two organizations working with "highly complex" autistic youth in the difficult suburbs of Paris.
Here is the ranking:
10 | A Taste of Rust and Bone
(2012, France, Belgium) Shown in Italian cinemas, this film follows Stephanie's return to life after losing her legs in an accident while training killer whales. She meets Alì, and in their mutual strength, fear, and fragility, a beautiful love story unfolds. Boris Sollazzo wrote about it for us.
9 | Patiens
(2017, France) Twenty-year-old Ben finds himself paraplegic after an accident. There are many things he can no longer do. During a year of rehabilitation at a specialized clinic—documented in this film—he learns to discover all the other things he can do, alongside other young people in his situation. This too is inspired by a true story.
8 | Marie Heurtin. From Darkness to Light
(2014, France) A beautiful film that also reached Italian screens. A soul blossoms from imprisonment; a young nun's faith shines; questions emerge about God's presence in lives deemed minor. The true story of a deaf, blind, and mute girl straddling the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Unable to raise her themselves, her parents entrust her to an institute run by nuns. There, Sister Marguerite—already suffering from tuberculosis—takes charge of Marie. With energy and faith, she leads the girl to rebirth, to awareness of the world around her.
7 | With All Our Strength
(2013, France) A father struggles to accept his son's paraplegia, channeling his distress into running. The boy proposes they train together for a triathlon. The film is inspired by the real story of an American father and son who competed together in many such races. We wrote about it some time ago.
6 | The Bélier Family
(2014, France) This one also played in Italian theaters. It tells the story of a hearing girl, daughter and sister to people deaf from birth. A charming comedy that captures the normalcy of a family rather than its exceptionality.
5 | The King's Speech
(2010, United Kingdom) The only non-French production to make the list. Enrica Riera discussed it with us.
4 | Jean Vanier. The Sacrament of Tenderness
(2018, France) We have already written here about this film on the life of the founder of L'Arche and Faith and Light.
3 | And the Winning Winds
(2016, France; the title references a 1985 song by singer-songwriter Renaud). A documentary that portrays with truth and gentleness the difficult daily lives of five children with serious disabling illnesses—sometimes painful, sometimes life-threatening. Yet despite this hard premise, the film is luminous and celebrates life itself. Director Anne-Dauphine Julllian—who made Two Small Steps on Wet Sand in 2011, recounting her own daughter's illness—asked all the children filmed, all under ten and aware of their condition, never to forget they were being watched by a camera.
2 | Lourdes
(2018, France) Coming to Italy next February, this documentary explores the world's third-largest pilgrimage destination—a place where humanity and faith meet. We will say more about it soon.
1 | The Intouchables
(2011, France) A box-office champion worldwide, this comedy—inspired by a true story—has succeeded in portraying a friendship as improbable as it is unexpectedly fruitful. It is among the best films about disability, according to both Giorgia Sdei and Emilio Ranzato.