Drama
United States of America
Chained for Life is a drama film that follows the story of a beautiful actress named Mabel who is struggling to connect with her disfigured co-star Rosenthal on the set of a European auteur's English-language debut film. The director is highly respected in the industry but struggles with body image issues and has a fascination with disability. As the production moves along, Mabel begins to understand Rosenthal's perspective as she experiences the challenges he faces in his everyday life and the struggles he's had to endure as a person with a physical disability.
The film questions the nature of beauty, ableism, and our understanding and preconceptions of what it means to be “normal”. Through subtle humor and a unique cinematic style, Chained for Life offers a poignant commentary on the ways in which people with disabilities are often used as symbols for society’s "otherness" and how this is reflected in the representation of disability in Hollywood cinema.
The film is directed and written by Aaron Schimberg and stars Jess Weixler as Mabel and Adam Pearson as Rosenthal. It premiered in 2018 at the Locarno Film Festival and has since received critical acclaim for its originality and thought-provoking commentary.
