This episode discusses issues surrounding assisted dying.

Living in a small town can be hard, you only know a certain amount of people and sometimes the people that you meet may not be right for you. Then one day you may meet somebody you've never even knew was there and they could be just the person you were looking for.

However, everybody comes with baggage and even though you get to know them and grow closer, you may realise that that the there is just no way that the relationship can go forward. Especially when it seems that both people aren't really trying all that hard to find a solution.

This week, Film-Ability is talking about the hit 2016 romcom, Me Before You. The issues surrounding assisted dying don't sound particularly palatable for a light-hearted romcom. However, that doesn't stop the juggernaut that is Hollywood and where there's money to be made, they can just skim over the finer details of the real discussion. Let's just hope the audience realises that it isn't so two-dimensional in real life.

Film-Ability is hosted, edited and written by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky: Search for 'film-ability'

Instagram: Search for 'film_ability'

E-mail: film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

Family is important to most of us, whether we find contentment with the family that we're born into or find our own family as we make our way through life. However, doing what gives us the passion to want to live our own lives is also important, and we should never ignore that.

Family can be loving and understanding, but at times, they may take us for granted and take advantage of us. Although those who realise that really matters to us will know when it's time to let go.

This week, Film-Ability is watching CODA, the Oscar winning story of a fishing family who are all deaf apart from their daughter Ruby who dreams of singing on stage. A heartwarming and not saccharine story which deals with real issues surrounding disability as well as family and responsibilities, CODA is a pleasure from start to finish.

Film-Ability is edited, written and hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema, which you can find on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky: Search for 'film-ability'

Instagram: Search for 'film_ability'

E-mail: film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode features talk of emotional abuse, death by suicide and cancer

Getting the thing that you want the most in the world may come at a cost. However, being determined to get what you want may mean that you'll want to overlook those costs in the pursuit of what you think may be happiness.

The friends and family members that you have may suffer as a result of that. Let's just hope that before it's too late that you realise what really matters in life.

This week, Film-Ability is watching Muriel's Wedding, the hit Australian comedy starring Toni Collette which launched her Hollywood career.

So, join me as I explore Muriel's life and how her friend Rhonda is side lined and overlooked as she goes on her journey to success. Despite the fact that Rhonda is a wheelchair user after being diagnosed with cancer. It's a comedy, I promise.

Film-Ability is written, edited and hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema which you can find on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode contains talk of death by suicide, alcoholism and animal death.

Once in a lifetime events that affect the entire world are certainly rare, but they can happen. What we see among the stars can be a wonderous thing and some of us reach out and wish that we could see what really is out there.

However, if we look too closely then what may be out there may make way for something that is looking for us. Something deadly and even plant-based.

This week, Film-Ability is discussing the 1963's The Day of the Triffids. Adapted from John Wyndham's classic sci-fi novel where people witnessing a meteor storm go blind and a race of aliens decide to invade.

So join me as I discuss how not only did the film and the novel influence modern science fiction and horror. It also gives me a chance to discuss how blind people are portrayed in cinema and how the world may see them. Not so helpless as you may first think.

Film-Ability is written, edited and hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that can be found on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode features themes of grief and loss

Carers are perhaps the most important people in a disabled person's life. They're there to help us, and whether that means a family member, a friend or somebody who has chosen it as a career, they need to get along.

However, when Ben (Paul Rudd) applies for a job looking after Trevor (Craig Phillips), a teenager with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, he finds that he has his work cut out for him. However, Ben thinks that all Trevor needs is to get out and see the world, or at least the worst that America's tourist traps have to offer.

This week, Film-Ability is discussing The Fundamentals of Caring, the 2016 Netflix-released feel-good comedy about a mismatched pair who are thrown out of their comfort zones.

Although along the way, they may find somebody who can knock their heads together and help them to work through their problems.

Film-Ability is written, hosted and edited by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema, which you can find in Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode discusses alcoholism and domestic violence.

Christy Brown was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 5th of June 1932. Born into a large (very large) family, Christy and his brothers and sisters made do with what they had, but Christy's talent for writing, painting and poetry brought him the kind of fame that nobody thought he could achieve.

Born with cerebral palsy, Christy Brown was seen as a burden on his family and somebody who would never achieve anything of note. That is until he started showing the world what he could do with only his left foot.

Yes, that's right, Film-Ability is covering My Left Foot this week, the Oscar-winning biopic of Irish author, poet and painter, Christy Brown. The first of many biopics no doubt to be covered on the podcast, My Left Foot gives an account of Christy Brown's life which showcased Sir Daniel Day-Lewis' talent as an actor as well as highlighted an icon of Irish culture, putting both in the spotlight.

However, as most biopics often do, there is somewhat of a sugarcoating of reality, focusing on Brown's desire for a romantic relationship instead of his achievements. Not to mention some of the darker aspects of his life.

So, join me this week as I discuss My Left Foot, perhaps the first high-profile biopic to encourage other actors to take on the role of a famous disabled person in order to get a chance to win an Oscar.

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema, which is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode features themes of extreme violence and sexual assault.

There's nothing quite like a horror movie to give you that experience of fear. Whether you're watching somebody being chased down by a monster, or if the thing is stalking its victims from the shadows, it can keep an audience on the edge of their seats.

Horror can take many forms as well from the supernatural, extraterrestrial to the everyday and the mundane. It all depends on your perspective.

So, when a gang of thieves sets their next target as a blind veteran who has a lot of money in a safe, what could go wrong? Well, it seems that underestimating a disabled person was their first mistake.

This week, Film-Ability talks about Don't Breathe, a horror movie from 2016 directed by Fede Alvarez, who went on to success with revitalising the Alien franchise. However, the subject of a blind villain who's just an ordinary man could be controversial to some, although once you know his whole story, you might think differently.

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky: - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle⁠

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay

This episode contains talk of domestic violence

What does it take to be the best? Determination, grit, and not letting anything else get in your way. There are many successful disabled athletes and many of them have gone on to inspire a new generation who only seem to get better, improving on the legacy that came before them.

However, great things come from humble beginnings and in Unstoppable (2024), Anthony Robles' story is told just as in any other sports movie, with a particular influence from Rocky. With a slightly volatile home life, Anthony decided not to let anything get in his way and became a national champion wrestler. With a little help from his mum, of course.

This week, Film-Ability covers Unstoppable, a true story about a wrestler born with one leg who fought to prove the people wrong who said he couldn't do it (even his own coach). A story of triumphing against the odds on his own terms. Anthony's story is up there with the greatest of athletes in his generation.

Film-Ability is hosted by Joel Fisher, author of Film-Ability: A History of Disability in Cinema that you can find at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.

Contact:

Bluesky - search for 'film-ability'

Instagram - search for 'film_ability'

E-mail - film-ability@outlook.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/simple-miracle

License code: J45OOWS3TE9TSJ1J

Relaxing Guitar Loop V5 by IdoBerg, via Pixabay