BECAUSE OF MY BODY

Disabled people like Claudia, a twenty-year-old woman with a serious motor disability, have long been denied the pleasures of sex.

Marco, a Love Giver, comes into her life. He has just attended his first course in helping disabled people discover their bodies and their sexuality. It’s an experimental programme, because a law on the matter is yet to be developed in Italy.
Supported by a team of specialists, Claudia and Marco embark on a series of meetings that become ever more intimate. However, the project is subject to protocol which includes a rule that is difficult to enforce: never fall in love.

Biografilm Festival 2020 |Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2020: DOC@PÖFF

Director’s statement

This film is the result of long-term research into the sexuality of disabled people, undertaken in close collaboration with two associations that use innovative social approaches to address the rights of the disabled: Love Giver and Disability Pride Italia.

The aim is to question assumptions about normality and beauty, shared concepts that create insurmountable divisions between disabled people and so-called normal people, defining those who have a right to sexuality and those who are destined to live a life of emotional, and sexual solitude.

This image often results in disabled people living inside a protective cocoon based on the love provided by their parents, who continue to see their son or daughter as “sexually immature”, a kind of eternal child. A harmonious relationship with one’s own body and the ability to experience physical contact with another person should perhaps be seen as opening a new horizon for human rights, as demonstrated by the debate that led to the drafting of a declaration of sexual rights (Hong Kong 2008).

The style of the documentary will enable the viewer to rediscover physical traits diverging from the traditional norms that define beauty. The aim is to broaden views currently constrained by stereotypes. The film will explore a range of situations, from initial introduction to when physical contact occurs, including everyday events like resting or dressing, to promote appreciation of the secret, intimate beauty of disabled people by removing the veil that hides their vitality and desires.

DIRECTED BY: Francesco Cannavà
FEATURING: Claudia Muffi, Marco Purzo
PRODUCED BY: B&B Film in coproduction with RAI, WDR, ARTE with the support of Regione Lazio
LANGUAGES: Italian, English subtitles
RUNNING TIME: 86 min
RELEASE DATE: 2021