Telling a person who just lost half their foot to take things step by step may not be the smartest thing you can do, but that’s the new reality that Vera now lives with. Once the vibrant party girl down for late-night hook-ups in nightclub bathrooms, the 23-year-old must find a way to rebound after an accident left her with an amputated leg. With a delicate but humanistic touch, Stand Up shows that people are not just the terrible things that happen to them. That a person can be more than perceived limits if they choose to be.
After the accident, Vera (Lucia Zemene) temporarily moves into a rehab facility to train herself to gain mobility while being a wheelchair user. Jonathan, equal parts physiotherapist and wise sage, sings Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” and is energetic. He is there to physically get her back on track and soothe her when she feels defeated. If this were The Lion King, Vera would be Simba and Jonathan would be Rafiki. A good “fuck you” can motivate the best of us.
While in rehab, Vera must learn to switch between her chair and other seats, and how to physically pick herself up. In a smart move by writer/director Mari Sanders, we do not linger on these scenes longer than we need to. It is good to see how taxing these exercises are. However, the real heart of Stand Up is the community that Vera gains, and its central conflict is between Vera’s girlfriends before the accident and the group of friends she will gain while in rehab. Sanders effectively balances the push and pull forces of a young person trapped between the past and future.
In an exchange that would not qualify as a meet-cute, Vera sees Xander (Daan Buringa) hanging with a group of friends at night. The encounter ends with Vera flipping him off. Undeterred (again, a good “fuck you” can light a fire under anyone), he spots her in the rehab garden and sparks a conversation.
Xander, who is also a chair user, dons a leather jacket with “Sex Pistols” scribed on the back, Doc Martens, and quotes German philosophers. Though assertive, he does not nag Vera into submission. Daan Buringa gives a stellar performance. He carries a dark charm like a wounded fox. Xander is sly and unpredictable in a way that attracts but can keep at arm’s length. There is chemistry between the two, and he becomes another guide to Vera’s new life.
Xander introduces Vera to his group of ragtag friends from rehab, and this is where Stand Up is at its lightest and funnest. The group consists of about a dozen differently-abled individuals. A less sophisticated film would spotlight each person’s affliction, but Stand Up’s sensibilities would not allow it to be so invasive and gauche. They are people and are treated as such. When Vera enters the fold, they treat her as a person too. The group plays a modified video game version of Pong, but instead of two vertical bars hitting a dot back and forth, it’s a pair of dueling wheelchairs. They are just as outgoing and down to party as Vera was pre-accident, partaking in booze and drugs too. “One of us” indeed!
The movie’s tension is twofold: within Vera herself and with an old trio of friends, particularly her roommate Inaya (Hana Hussein). She faces mental hurdles as she learns to live with the new chair. (Sanders mixes in surrealist dream sequences manifested by Vera’s bruised psyche for good measure.) Her friend group before the accident seems to be holding her back. They try to put on a good face, but the understanding of how Vera has changed does not resonate with them. Inaya saying “We don’t even see the chair” feels both hurtful and daft. Scenes between Vera and Inaya are filled with longing, and you are hopeful they can find their way back to each other.
Actor and artist Lucia Zemene is heartfelt and determined. There are many layers to Vera; she balances these new and old friendships, and this new potential romantic relationship while coming to grips with this tragic accident. Stand Up is about community and self-determination, but it is also about sexuality and expression. Zemene can shift between carrying a beautiful twinkle in her eye and the weight of the world on her shoulders. Though the role calls for moments of deep dramatic tension, her performance does not overinflate. Zemene offers a veritable touch in making Vera feel lived in.
Jonathan (in a fun and sympathetic performance from Kendrick Etmon) talks about trusting and loving your body, something that most people have great difficulty in doing. But he’s right. Even if it may seem at times a conventional love story, Stand Up is ultimately about learning to love yourself again. It essentially questions: how does one move on? The answer starts with the self. The relationship with Xander taking off or keeping her friends is inconsequential if Vera cannot mentally recover. Romantic and platonic love are both important, but you cannot have either of those without love of self. The audience is rooting for Vera first and foremost, and Stand Up does not let us forget that.
Writer/director Mari Sanders’ work is ambitious. He is not afraid to explore the many facets of Vera, Xander, and their crew. Being born with or becoming disabled does not stifle a person’s inferiority. In any film, there is a risk in showing too much and getting needlessly bogged down, or not enough and having hollow characters. Sanders offers a rich, complex character study with a sensitive touch. He trusts his instincts to show us more, and Stand Up is an exceptional feature debut.
No Comment! Be the first one.