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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1992)
Joe* out ▼ June 1902 T 31 elearning to live The W aterdance gets an “A ”fo r ethnic sensitivity , “B ”for M OTH ER M OTHER M OTH ER QUEENS' QUEENS' QUEENS' Al l Al l ALL gay awareness and “C+”fo r treatment of women I» « » I« i' i. js . rs ■> . -A JUNE 6TH m m è •as a»*«-5* n ' I & UNE 6TH IN I > J UNE 6TH Free From the Pi Downtown Bars Queens’ Every half hour from 8:00 pm to 2*00 am Shuttle Brought to you by Embers • CC Slaughters Service the Fish Grotto • Flossies ' 4 ¿bftssNI Don't Miss The S u n d ay, Ju n e7 io r) William Forsythe, Eric Stoltz and Wesley Snipes 11:00 am - 3:00 pm (y Sandra de Helen he Waterdance stars Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, and Helen Hunt. The script is by Neal Jiminez who also (with Michael Steinberg) directs. This story of how nee men learn to cope with disability, growing nd changing in the process, is interesting, mov- fig, and educational. It can be graded “A” for thnic sensitivity, — B” for gay aware- less, and “C+” for low it treats women. The Film begins >y showing us what ife looks like from he point of view of i head-injured pa- ient on a gurney. nitially, the movie looks almost like a documen- ary, particularly when Joel (Eric Stoltz) is being nterviewed by a psychologist and we see the iepth and breadth o f his denial. “I ’m a writer, so don’t really need my legs.” Within a few hiinutes, it loses its documentary flavor and gains pur rapt attention as the characters begin to de velop before our eyes. Over time we learn each o f the main charac ters’ stories about how they have all ended up in »physical rehab facility to regain whatever physi cal control they can and to learn how to live with ^ realities of their new lifestyle — in a chair. ' is an African-American, Bloss is a European- erican member of a motorcycle pack, and Joel ie writer whose ethnic background is revealed t a moment which needs — and receives — the tuch needed shot of humor the revelation pro- ides. Each of the men have “ their” women: Joel has lis married girlfriend (Helen Hunt) who figures Prominently throughout the film; Bloss has his middle-aged, working class (but apparently not working), somewhat flaky mother; Ray has an estranged wife and child. Each man faces his future in his own unique way. Joel can still write, ploss plans to win a two million dollar lawsuit pgainst the motorist who hit him, but Ray faces a life of dependence. As they build emotional and physical strength, fhe men face various kinds of pain. The audience pees a range of possibilities for dealing with the ^rushing blow of sudden disability. At the end of £ehab they may be only physically challenged, but pt the beginning the challenges are psychological r E and spiritual as well. The Waterdance is the first popular film to deal with the sexuality of men in chairs in a realistic way. Other movies have shown us a romanticized version of people making love, but this one shows us reality. First we see the lecture scene (where the men hear the realities they will face) and then actual sex scenes where the partici pants face the frustration and fears in the first attempts at making love with the challenges of paralysis. Again, the writer and directors use humor as well as information and sensitivity to bring these realities home. Joel and Anna (Hunt) are first drawn closer together by his accident, but soon are in conflict when Joel insists that she tell her husband about them and make a choice. When they fight and she doesn’t visit him for three weeks, he is forced to look to his ward-mates for support. Joel comes to understand that while he needs and wants Anna, at the same time he hates her for her ability to walk. Ray, who up ’til now has been the world’s worst husband, suddenly realizes how much he loves his wife and daughter. He wants desper ately to start over with his wife and to have her see what life could be like with the changes he wants to make. Unfortunately, it becomes clear that it is too late for their marriage when the wife and child show up for a visit only to have him sign the divorce papers. Bloss faces his own ignorance and fears and is finally driven to seek the friendship of the other men on the ward when one of his motorcycle buddies shares the truth about the accident with him. The men bond to the point that Bloss and Joel storm a bureaucratic boondoggle to try to save Ray from a threatened suicide. In the process, the film-makers show us the frustration of inacces sible buildings without ever mentioning it. Except for the fact that this is a heterosexual men’s movie, (and face it, most of them are) this is a film worth seeing for its portrayal of some of the challenges faced by people in chairs. With the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we can look forward to the day when all U.S. citizens arc afforded the accessibility necessary to fully participate in life. We can also hope for more films, plays, books, magazines, and so on to enlighten us as to the lives of all of us. The Waterdance is opening at an Act ID theater soon. H obo's Inn 120 N W Third 1992. Portland, Oregon. You are considering a major real estate transaction. You know th a t the right agent is essential to the success of your transaction. How do you find that person? Choose a Portland native with a decade’s experience building custom homes, doing restorations and remodels— someone who knows houses from foundation to façade. Choose a real e sta te agent who genuinely • cares about you and your priorities. And, finally, choose an agent with an extensive background in financing residential investment opportunities. Whether your tran sactio n is a sale, the purchase o f your firs t home, a ste p up, or a piece o f residential investm ent property, you’ll want an agent who can put all the pieces together, in a tim ely fashion. The year, 1992. The place, Portland, Oregon. The real estate agent— TIM WALTERS The time: Today. ERTIES □ 01 2021 Lloyd Center Portland, OR 97232 (503) 287-3322 Call me a t (503) 2Ö7-3322, or a t my home (503) 635-11ÔÔ.
