Coming Down the Mountain - Representation of Disability

Explore the Representation of Disability in this Clip

'Coming Down the Mountain'

Camera:

The camera puts Ben in the corner of the screen when he is around his brother and friends at school, this is a metaphor for Ben and other disabled being rejected from society or pushed aside. This is contradicted when Ben is in the centre of the frame when he is at home with his family, making him the centre of attention by his parents.

The camera is generally level throughout most of the shots, shots that include both Ben and David are level, as well as the two characters on their own. This carries the image of them both being equal. The director could have used the camera to look up/down on either of the characters if the director wanted to look down on a certain character/member of society but he did not.

Editing:

During the scene outside of the school, the editing is purposefully cut quickly to cause confusion for the audience, there are 19 cuts in around 30 seconds of footage. This is done to make us feel like we are in Ben’s position. As well as this, there is a random cut to a boy shouting about a can of petrol, followed by the explosion later, this gives an insight into chaotic school life, but also highlights the confusion that someone like Ben may feel. Whereas other students would just see this as an ordinary event.

During the first part of the clip, David is narrating over an edit of old clips, showing evolution taking place. The clips show the evolution of man as well as other animals, mocking disabled people as the people who went ‘wrong’ during this process.

Mise en Scene:

During the first shot, the two-brother’s bedroom is showing, on the left side is Ben, and on the right, is David. The left side is very colourful with lots of posters and bright toys and bedding, whereas the right side is very dull and stereotypical of a teenage room. This is most likely set out like this because people with a disability like Bens are seen as childish and immature, whereas the stereotype suggests that teenagers shouldn’t have childish items and should be more adult. This shines a positive light on disability as it shows that they are still young and aren’t influenced by stereotypes. However, this could also shine a negative light on disabled people as they aren’t able to grow up and may be stuck in a childish state until shown otherwise, the fact that they are unique may make them be seen as outcasts from society too.

There is natural lighting throughout the whole video. Ben receives the same lighting as David and other characters, this was done on purpose to remind the audience that Ben (and those alike) are also human and should receive the same treatment as everyone else in society.

Sound:

In the opening few shots, David narrates how he intended to kill his brother Ben, he also described Ben and other disabled people as ‘really big potatoes with eye tentacles’. This obviously dehumanises disabled people as not a part of society, but the ‘broken ones’ as the chemicals used to make us have been ‘mixed up’.

We also sympathise for Ben later, the music slows down and a compilation of sounds play, this is a mix of laughter, narration by David, music and diegetic sound (the bus). Like the editing sequence earlier on, this is done to create confusion and to make the audience feel sorry for Ben as we hear what he hears all the time and puts us in his position. This makes us feel sorry for him and also shines a positive light as it shows what people like Ben have to live with and what the struggle is for them.