Freaks

Freaks is an MGM film released in 1932 and directed by Todd Browning. Browning is better known for having directed Dracula. Freaks is not a horror film, but a sensitive and insightful portrayal of the lives of the human beings that were the main attractions at the circus freak shows of the 19th and 20th centuries. What is wonderful about this movie is that it portrays these people as people. They were a community. They fell in and out of love. They got married. They had families. They had friends and they had enemies. They were different in many ways, but they were human beings. The film was released over 80 years ago. At first, it was a box office failure. MGM, for a period of time, disowned it. But in more recent years, it has been recognized for the extraordinary film that it was. Much has changed in 80 years, and much has not. As I have said in previous blogs, persons with a disability or a physical or emotional difference know more about resilience than most people, since they must, in order to survive in our society. The characters in Freaks demonstrate many of these skills and attitudes of resilience. They connect with others, they communicate well with others sometimes verbally and sometimes not. They are amazingly good at problem solving, e.g., the man with no legs walks on his hands and wears gloves, the woman with no arms eats with her feet. They portray self-confidence and a sense of purpose. They take care of each other and help each other deal with the strong feelings that come up when they are not treated well or are bullied by “big people.” Unfortunately, the skills and attitudes that they portray so well in the film are still the ones that are required of persons who are different in order to survive in our society, a society that, in general, still favors homogeneity over diversity. by Ron Breazeale