Director Steven Delano explores dwarfism through images from movies, paintings,…
I Didn't See You There
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
As a visibly disabled person, filmmaker Reid Davenport sets out to make a film about how he sees the world, from either his wheelchair or his two feet, without having to be seen himself. The unexpected arrival of a circus tent outside his apartment in Oakland, CA leads him to consider the history and legacy of P.T. Barnum’s Freak Show and its lingering presence in his daily life in the form of gawking, lack of access, and other forms of ableism. Informed by his position in space, lower to the ground, Davenport captures indelible images, often abstracted into shapes and patterns separate from their meaning. But the circus tent looms in the background, and is reverberated by tangible on-screen interruptions, from unsolicited offers of help to careless blocking of ramps.
Personal and unflinching, I Didn't See You There forces the viewer to confront the spectacle and invisibility of disability. Offering both a perspective and stylistic approach that are rarely seen, Reid brings an urgently needed storytelling eye to filmmaking with a documentary that is powerful and emotional, thoughtful and raw, intimate and political.
University of Missouri | Robert Greene, filmmaker, "Procession", Associate Professor, Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the University of Missouri
"Reid Davenport’s I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE is extraordinary. The film is immersive, quietly fiery, emotionally galvanizing and radically present tense. It’s the kind of film that can change the way a viewer thinks, not with a didactic agenda, but with the raw power of the camera and the poetic force of the editing. It was my favorite film I saw at Sundance."
UC Berkeley | Jeffrey Skoller, Associate Professor of Film & Media
"I Didn't See You There is brilliant, moving, and connects with the politics of the current moment. Reid Davenport has created one of the few films I've seen that is an actual image of embodied subjectivity - it’s a sensory (auto)ethnography in the truest sense. The film fully realizes and builds upon the aspiration of the diaristic subjective vision of American avant-garde filmmakers Stan Brakhage, Bruce Baille, and Jonas Mekas, and the reflexivity of Cinema Verite."
Roger Ebert
“'I Didn’t See You There' is first-person poetry in captivating motion, expressed with a singular, assured artistic voice.”
Vox Magazine
“It is extremely rare that a film with very few human faces can evoke a spectrum of emotions such as laughter, compassion, warmth and distress in 77 minutes. It’s both unsettling and exciting to see a film that is honestly and candidly human, without the frills or the unnecessary.”
Filmmaker Magazine
“Davenport has put a stake in the ground for an emboldened cinema of disability.”
“Davenport has put a stake in the ground for an emboldened cinema of disability.”
Variety
“A debut feature that is deeply and sometimes opaquely personal.”
Vox
“It’s a must-see.”
Hollywood Reporter
“Draws a direct line between the circus’ legacy of the “freak show” and the ableism that Davenport […] confronts on a day-to-day basis.”
KQED
"Road movies are an iconic American genre, powered by the rush of freedom, independence and possibility. Reid Davenport might laugh at being compared to L.A. mavericks Dennis Hooper or Monte Hellman [...] but his breakthrough feature doc, I Didn’t See You There, fiercely follows in a grand tradition."
The Wrap
“Takes viewers inside Davenport’s POV from a cinematic standpoint”
Todd Chandler | Filmmaker Magazine
“How boring it would have been to cut a film made by someone with the same sensibilities as me!”
POV Magazine
“A radical film that re-appropriates the gaze and asks audiences to look at the city with a fuller and more inclusive view.”
“A radical film that re-appropriates the gaze and asks audiences to look at the city with a fuller and more inclusive view.”
Paste Magazine
“More poetic than confrontational, I Didn’t See You There’s methods embody its purpose better than any synopsis. The doc hums with a hypnotic affinity for architectural patterns and urban textures, the visual infrastructure highly attractive to Davenport since it allows him to immerse us in his point of view without being the view himself.”
“More poetic than confrontational, I Didn’t See You There’s methods embody its purpose better than any synopsis. The doc hums with a hypnotic affinity for architectural patterns and urban textures, the visual infrastructure highly attractive to Davenport since it allows him to immerse us in his point of view without being the view himself.”
Film Threat
“Strongly involving. The vignettes that comprise Reid Davenport’s existence really give you a sense of life from the vantage point of one at a lower elevation than most. It’s life, as usual, just a little different, is all.”
“Strongly involving. The vignettes that comprise Reid Davenport’s existence really give you a sense of life from the vantage point of one at a lower elevation than most. It’s life, as usual, just a little different, is all.”
The Mercury News
"An immersive, impressionistic experience”
"An immersive, impressionistic experience”
Fox 5 New York
“‘I Didn’t See You There’ is a challenging but essential viewing experience.”
“‘I Didn’t See You There’ is a challenging but essential viewing experience.”
Slug Mag
“Captivating”
“Captivating”
Forbes
“The shots are reverie-inducing, hypnotic and rather enchanting”
“The shots are reverie-inducing, hypnotic and rather enchanting”
High on Films
“Reid Davenport’s documentary could turn out to be the most important thing you will see this year, if not the greatest.”
“Reid Davenport’s documentary could turn out to be the most important thing you will see this year, if not the greatest.”
La Estatuilla
“A powerful meditation on how we see people with disabilities”
“A powerful meditation on how we see people with disabilities”
Seventh Row
“Davenport doesn’t just aim to tell the audience about his experience as a disabled person, but to show us the way he sees the world, using techniques that are rarely implemented on screen.”
“Davenport doesn’t just aim to tell the audience about his experience as a disabled person, but to show us the way he sees the world, using techniques that are rarely implemented on screen.”
Park Record
“I’ve always had this tie with the freak show, especially as a filmmaker who uses his perspective as a disabled person in his work,” [Davenport] said. “Not all of those performers had agency.”
“I’ve always had this tie with the freak show, especially as a filmmaker who uses his perspective as a disabled person in his work,” [Davenport] said. “Not all of those performers had agency.”
Backseat Mafia
“Filmed from his vantage point, his travels and travails are accompanied by his thoughts and feelings. While you might imagine this would only have limited appeal as a spectacle, it works thanks to a lot of imagination on the director’s part.”
48 Hills | Dennis Harvey
"In his general perspective and frequent logistical frustrations, [...Reid Davenport's] movie provides a challenge to the complacency of the able-bodied, and a chance to experience a very different relationship towards the external world."
San Francisco Chronicle | Chris Vognar
Eat Drink Film | C.J. Hirschfield
"The result satisfies, once the viewer recognizes that the film will not deliver a traditional beginning, middle and end—it’s more like a very thoughtful road trip from his [Reid Davenport's] wheelchair; we’re literally along for the ride."
KQED Arts | Michael Fox
"The accomplishment of I Didn’t See You There lies in how effectively Davenport and editor Todd Chandler interweave the filmmaker’s personal life with his social-issue concerns, to the point where any distinction evaporates."
Citation
Main credits
Davenport, Reid (film director)
Davenport, Reid (narrator)
Davenport, Reid (director of photography)
Wilson, Keith (film producer)
Other credits
Edited by Todd Chandler; director of photography, Reid Davenport.
Distributor subjects
Film Production; Film Studies; Disabilities Studies; Architecture and DesignKeywords
Film Production,Film Studies,Disabilities Studies,disability,disabilities,disabled,wheelchair,accessibility,inclusion,ableism,identity,political identity,Architecture and Design; "I Didn't See You There"; GOOD DOCS; Social Psychology; Behavioral Sociology;
00:00:04.296 --> 00:00:09.218
[quiet bustle in the distance,
wheels rolling on platform]
00:00:23.148 --> 00:00:28.028
REID: When the train starts
accelerating after I do,
00:00:28.028 --> 00:00:30.030
there is a moment when
00:00:30.030 --> 00:00:33.742
we're going exactly
the same speed.
00:00:36.203 --> 00:00:42.876
[train whirs as
it gains speed]
00:00:47.089 --> 00:00:53.136
[train roars past]
00:00:55.347 --> 00:01:00.352
[whining, whistling
as train barrels on]
00:01:06.358 --> 00:01:11.905
[classical music plays
quietly in the station]
00:01:22.749 --> 00:01:27.754
[gentle rattling along tiles
as quiet music continues]
00:01:37.931 --> 00:01:41.935
[distant announcements
over the PA]
00:01:51.862 --> 00:01:55.115
PA: Please keep seats adjacent
to the train doors available
00:01:55.115 --> 00:01:57.701
for seniors, people
with disabilities,
00:01:57.701 --> 00:02:00.370
those who are pregnant
and others who need
00:02:00.370 --> 00:02:03.248
special access to train doors.
00:02:03.248 --> 00:02:05.542
Please help us keep
BART trains accessible....
00:02:05.542 --> 00:02:09.004
REID: Many BART
stations put the elevators
00:02:09.004 --> 00:02:11.590
outside the fare gates.
00:02:13.425 --> 00:02:14.217
[elevator dings]
00:02:14.217 --> 00:02:19.139
So, you can either pay
and go out the emergency exit
00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:24.895
to access the elevator
or just not pay at all.
00:02:27.898 --> 00:02:29.524
[clothes rustle,
button is pressed]
00:02:30.025 --> 00:02:33.653
It took just one time
getting caught doing this
00:02:33.653 --> 00:02:37.199
for me to re-evaluate
the dilemma.
00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:42.496
[elevator hums]
00:02:43.497 --> 00:02:48.919
It didn't do enough to
make me stop though.
00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.796
[doors clank as they open]
00:02:54.591 --> 00:02:56.009
[rumble and clank]
00:02:57.135 --> 00:03:02.557
[wheels crackle,
chair jostles]
00:03:08.730 --> 00:03:12.734
[cars pass as chair bumps
and bops on sidewalk]
00:03:25.288 --> 00:03:28.375
REID: I've made
several films before
00:03:28.375 --> 00:03:31.169
but never could
shoot them myself.
00:03:36.591 --> 00:03:40.971
This was the case several
years ago when I made a film
00:03:40.971 --> 00:03:44.015
about growing up
with a disability.
00:03:46.059 --> 00:03:50.647
A film largely about
how the world saw me.
00:03:53.233 --> 00:03:55.235
[soft voices nearby]
00:03:56.611 --> 00:04:01.950
[chair creaks as wheels
rumble across the pavement]
00:04:05.662 --> 00:04:07.122
[car horn honks
in the distance]
00:04:13.253 --> 00:04:16.173
[traffic rushes, horns honk
far off]
00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:28.560
I got this new camera
that I could handle myself.
00:04:31.146 --> 00:04:35.567
It allowed me to be
more spontaneous...
00:04:35.567 --> 00:04:39.821
and look for shapes and
patterns without worrying
00:04:39.821 --> 00:04:42.699
about meanings and words.
00:04:53.376 --> 00:04:57.547
I wanted to make a film
about how I saw the world.
00:05:07.098 --> 00:05:12.354
[wheels scrape along
sidewalk, traffic passes]
00:05:22.572 --> 00:05:26.535
I thought if I stayed firmly
behind the camera,
00:05:26.535 --> 00:05:31.414
I could show you how I see,
without having to be seen.
00:05:37.337 --> 00:05:41.341
[siren wails in the distance,
growing closer]
00:05:50.475 --> 00:05:55.522
[doors creak]
00:06:13.373 --> 00:06:15.208
Fuck.
00:06:18.378 --> 00:06:20.213
[door bounces
against the wall]
00:06:22.799 --> 00:06:26.636
[both doors bouncing,
clattering]
00:06:31.808 --> 00:06:36.104
[doors creak, slow and steady]
00:06:40.483 --> 00:06:46.948
[children playing nearby,
ice cream truck tune plays]
00:06:49.075 --> 00:06:51.077
[screen magnets snap]
00:06:59.336 --> 00:07:04.341
[children's voices echo
down the street]
00:07:09.012 --> 00:07:13.016
[ice cream truck jingle
continues tinkling nearby]
00:07:15.268 --> 00:07:20.231
[nearby conversations,
breeze rustling plants]
00:07:32.911 --> 00:07:38.958
[bustle and sounds
of the city]
00:07:49.344 --> 00:07:54.265
Soon after I started filming,
this circus tent went up
00:07:54.265 --> 00:07:57.102
across the street
from my apartment.
00:08:02.190 --> 00:08:04.109
It seemed out of place
00:08:04.109 --> 00:08:06.236
in the middle of Oakland.
00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:38.309
I had so many flies
in my apartment
00:08:38.309 --> 00:08:41.020
that I had to set up traps.
00:08:56.369 --> 00:08:59.414
[cars pass close by]
00:09:09.632 --> 00:09:13.553
I wonder if I feel more
than other people.
00:09:24.397 --> 00:09:31.404
[camera rattles, soft steps
brush the carpet]
00:09:51.758 --> 00:09:58.348
[rattling, soft steps continue
as cars pass nearby]
00:10:09.067 --> 00:10:13.154
[birds chirp, chair rattling
softly along sidewalk]
00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:20.703
STRANGER: Happy Sunday.
REID: Happy Sunday to you.
00:10:25.208 --> 00:10:31.673
[bright music builds over the
wheels rolling along pavement]
00:10:40.640 --> 00:10:45.645
[bright music is percussive,
chiming and twinkling]
00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:51.943
REID: When I'm in my chair,
00:10:51.943 --> 00:10:54.904
my eyes are closer
to the ground.
00:11:14.382 --> 00:11:19.429
[music continues: bells and
wheelchair bouncing]
00:11:28.938 --> 00:11:31.274
[car door shuts,
music stops abruptly]
00:11:31.274 --> 00:11:36.571
[quiet conversations
at the car]
00:11:36.571 --> 00:11:38.573
WOMAN: Sorry.
00:11:50.710 --> 00:11:52.962
REID: Are, are you guys
almost done?
00:11:52.962 --> 00:11:54.714
WOMAN: Almost done.
MAN: Yeah.
00:11:55.131 --> 00:11:56.132
[trunk slams shut]
00:11:56.132 --> 00:11:58.176
WOMAN: Sorry
to keep you waiting.
00:12:05.016 --> 00:12:07.143
[doors slam]
00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:11.981
[engine revs and hums]
00:12:14.943 --> 00:12:15.944
[horn blares]
00:12:16.945 --> 00:12:21.157
[wheelchair clatters,
scrapes against bricks]
00:12:42.553 --> 00:12:46.724
REID: Every time I went out
to film, the circus tent
00:12:46.724 --> 00:12:48.226
was in the shot.
00:13:00.780 --> 00:13:04.784
[warped carnival music
barely present]
00:13:07.453 --> 00:13:13.626
The tent made me think about
the legacy of the Freak Show,
00:13:13.626 --> 00:13:17.672
about being looked at,
but not seen.
00:13:19.674 --> 00:13:22.593
[distant traffic
hums and buzzes]
00:13:24.804 --> 00:13:28.725
Freak Shows used to
display certain people
00:13:28.725 --> 00:13:32.145
—brown, queer, disabled—
00:13:32.145 --> 00:13:34.480
as "human oddities."
00:13:42.905 --> 00:13:47.076
Performers included
Calvin Phillips,
00:13:47.076 --> 00:13:50.913
"the famous
American dwarf child";
00:13:50.913 --> 00:13:55.251
Chang and Eng,
"Siamese Double Boys";
00:13:55.251 --> 00:13:59.714
and Jenny Lee and Elvira Snow,
00:13:59.714 --> 00:14:03.259
who were billed as "Pinheads."
00:14:12.727 --> 00:14:16.189
I couldn't shoot a frame
without thinking about
00:14:16.189 --> 00:14:18.399
this goddamned tent.
00:14:21.986 --> 00:14:27.200
[cars pass,
music drifts]
00:14:39.420 --> 00:14:43.925
[slow, heavy
footsteps nearing]
00:14:49.597 --> 00:14:54.644
[gulp, swallow,
setting down a drink]
00:14:59.732 --> 00:15:05.696
[bottle clinks against glass,
echoes and resonates]
00:15:09.575 --> 00:15:10.743
REID: [sighs]
00:15:10.743 --> 00:15:12.912
[bottle sloshes]
00:15:15.915 --> 00:15:17.917
REID: [grunts softly]
00:15:21.712 --> 00:15:25.925
[receding footsteps,
the bottle set down]
00:15:29.804 --> 00:15:34.433
[footsteps continue away]
00:15:34.433 --> 00:15:36.144
VOICEMAIL: You have
three new messages.
00:15:36.144 --> 00:15:38.521
First message.
00:15:38.521 --> 00:15:40.148
MAN: Hey pal,
what's going on?
00:15:40.148 --> 00:15:41.732
Just figured
I'd try you again.
00:15:41.732 --> 00:15:44.193
It's a little
after 3:00 here now.
00:15:45.236 --> 00:15:47.196
Gimme a holler
when you have time.
00:15:47.196 --> 00:15:49.782
All right!
I'll talk to ya soon.
00:15:49.782 --> 00:15:51.784
Love you. Bye.
00:15:53.578 --> 00:15:55.121
VOICEMAIL: Press one to save.
00:15:55.121 --> 00:15:56.831
Press seven to de—
[button press]
00:15:57.790 --> 00:16:00.501
Next message.
00:16:00.501 --> 00:16:01.586
MOM: Hey, Reid.
It's Mom.
00:16:01.586 --> 00:16:04.505
Just checkin' in,
seein' how you're doin'.
00:16:04.505 --> 00:16:07.091
It's hotter than the
face of the sun here.
00:16:07.091 --> 00:16:09.635
Just sayin'.
All right.
00:16:09.635 --> 00:16:13.306
I just called to say hi,
see what's happenin'.
00:16:13.306 --> 00:16:15.975
OK. Gimme a call. Bye.
00:16:16.517 --> 00:16:18.519
VOICEMAIL: Press one to save.
[button press]
00:16:19.520 --> 00:16:21.230
[lighter flame sizzles]
00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:23.941
REID: [long exhale, cough]
00:16:26.986 --> 00:16:29.405
VOICEMAIL: Last message.
00:16:29.405 --> 00:16:30.990
ROBOT: Hello, this call
is officially
00:16:30.990 --> 00:16:33.326
a final notice from IRS.
00:16:33.326 --> 00:16:37.413
The reason of this call is to
inform you that IRS is filling
00:16:37.413 --> 00:16:39.415
a lawsuit on your name
be— [button press]
00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:46.464
[mouse clicks]
00:17:04.899 --> 00:17:09.153
[mouse clicks, birds
singing softly outside]
00:17:27.463 --> 00:17:35.429
[soft, slow breathing
and camera hum]
00:17:47.525 --> 00:17:49.193
REID: Hey.
00:17:49.193 --> 00:17:51.195
What's goin' on?
00:17:52.697 --> 00:17:54.532
Good!
00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:04.083
[chair creaks, people chat,
cars pass]
00:18:19.974 --> 00:18:23.602
REID: I moved to The Bay
seven years ago to become
00:18:23.602 --> 00:18:26.360
an artist after failing at
00:18:26.360 --> 00:18:29.525
more conventional
career paths.
00:18:37.199 --> 00:18:41.704
Moving here meant being
far away from people
00:18:41.704 --> 00:18:44.915
who I didn't wanna be
far away from.
00:18:52.131 --> 00:18:55.259
Before I even arrived
in Oakland,
00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:58.179
transformation was underway.
00:19:05.478 --> 00:19:09.482
[chair rumbles along
as car horns honk]
00:19:13.653 --> 00:19:17.656
[soft breeze rustles leaves]
00:19:30.503 --> 00:19:33.381
MAN 1: They pay so much
money for these buildings!
00:19:33.381 --> 00:19:35.674
Every fucking skyscraper!
00:19:41.847 --> 00:19:45.142
These are really expensive
buildings, and it takes up
00:19:45.142 --> 00:19:47.311
a lotta space
in our cit-tay.
00:19:48.312 --> 00:19:51.607
But they spend so much
fucking money on this place,
00:19:51.607 --> 00:19:56.237
and they refuse to provide
two Porta-Potties
00:19:56.237 --> 00:19:58.823
to support their local
communit-tay!
00:19:58.823 --> 00:20:02.201
And I think that
that is a big problem!
00:20:09.417 --> 00:20:13.587
MAN 2: ...you know retail is
just a fancy word for it....
00:20:16.340 --> 00:20:17.425
WOMAN: I've had these.
00:20:17.425 --> 00:20:19.969
He lives in my
neighborhood, so....
00:20:22.805 --> 00:20:25.349
MAN 3: Yeah, no.
I'm not here to....
00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:30.062
[someone whistles nearby]
00:20:35.943 --> 00:20:41.699
[bright, fast
percussive music]
00:20:57.381 --> 00:21:04.180
[percussive rhythms build,
echo against chair rumbling]
00:21:22.490 --> 00:21:24.325
[SUV whizzes past]
00:21:24.325 --> 00:21:31.499
[deep, droning pulses build
over fast percussive rhythms]
00:21:40.382 --> 00:21:45.429
[music rises in energy,
pulsing, thrumming, beating]
00:21:55.439 --> 00:21:57.483
REID: It's a crosswalk!
00:22:02.780 --> 00:22:08.786
[percussion beats
and races on]
00:22:20.965 --> 00:22:23.008
[music ends]
00:22:23.008 --> 00:22:28.806
[wheels scraping along
as people chat all around]
00:22:41.068 --> 00:22:43.946
[crashing, crumbling,
scooter beeps]
00:22:43.946 --> 00:22:47.449
[scooter scrapes loudly]
00:22:56.917 --> 00:22:58.210
[electric beeps from scooter]
00:22:58.210 --> 00:22:59.795
REID: Piece of shit!
00:23:05.050 --> 00:23:09.221
[someone singing as he nears]
00:23:20.399 --> 00:23:24.111
Every time I see this tent,
I picture
00:23:24.111 --> 00:23:27.615
disabled performers on stage.
00:23:27.615 --> 00:23:30.367
[carnival music
returns quietly]
00:23:30.367 --> 00:23:34.204
Disability was only
part of the Freak Show.
00:23:36.290 --> 00:23:40.711
There was Sarah Baartman
from South Africa, whose body
00:23:40.711 --> 00:23:43.547
was eroticized and studied.
00:23:45.215 --> 00:23:49.219
There were Millie and
Christine McCoy, who were
00:23:49.219 --> 00:23:54.183
born enslaved before
being sold to a showman.
00:23:57.686 --> 00:24:02.066
Any and every
identity coalesced
00:24:02.066 --> 00:24:05.736
in complex
disenfranchisement...
00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:11.450
and were looked at under
the brightest of lights.
00:24:15.746 --> 00:24:19.750
[quiet, haunting music
as wheelchair glides along]
00:24:42.356 --> 00:24:46.777
[many conversations
all around]
00:24:59.164 --> 00:25:03.210
[manual wheelchair squeaks
and rattles quietly]
00:25:03.210 --> 00:25:07.214
[flight announcements
play over the PA]
00:25:11.552 --> 00:25:17.558
[camera whooshes, air rushes,
engines hum, a child crying]
00:25:38.704 --> 00:25:41.707
[child cries again briefly]
00:25:48.213 --> 00:25:50.174
[PA dings]
00:26:17.951 --> 00:26:19.036
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Have
a good one.
00:26:19.036 --> 00:26:21.121
Bye. Safe travels.
00:26:22.581 --> 00:26:24.541
Thank you, guys.
Have a good day.
00:26:25.209 --> 00:26:27.211
Bye. Bye.
00:26:28.253 --> 00:26:30.297
Thank you.
00:26:35.260 --> 00:26:36.512
[grunts]
00:26:38.388 --> 00:26:40.182
FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Bye.
Thank you.
00:26:45.270 --> 00:26:46.939
Yeah. Watch your step
across there.
00:26:46.939 --> 00:26:48.524
REID: Yep. Thanks.
00:26:49.149 --> 00:26:52.361
EMPLOYEE: Hi.
REID: Thank you.
00:26:52.694 --> 00:26:54.446
Can I give you that?
00:26:56.698 --> 00:26:59.117
I'm OK.
Please don't touch me.
00:26:59.117 --> 00:27:00.744
Thank you.
00:27:06.250 --> 00:27:08.210
[cell notification dings]
00:27:09.586 --> 00:27:15.050
[conversations, announcements
fill the space]
00:27:51.753 --> 00:27:53.130
REID: Reid. R. E....
00:27:54.590 --> 00:27:58.176
[automatic window whines open]
00:28:03.682 --> 00:28:07.686
[dog barks, lawn mower
engine purrs]
00:28:09.521 --> 00:28:12.441
REID: I grew up here
in Bethel, Connecticut.
00:28:15.694 --> 00:28:20.365
I think of it as a town
that wants to be a suburb
00:28:20.365 --> 00:28:23.035
but is really
stuck in purgatory.
00:28:36.715 --> 00:28:42.512
My hometown's most famous
native is PT Barnum,
00:28:42.512 --> 00:28:47.434
also known as The Circus King,
who popularized
00:28:47.434 --> 00:28:51.313
the Freak Show in
the 19th century.
00:29:07.537 --> 00:29:08.664
[a toy squeaks]
00:29:08.664 --> 00:29:10.499
KELSEY: Who wants music?
CARSON: Me!
00:29:10.499 --> 00:29:12.626
REID: Carson, can
you show me this?
00:29:12.626 --> 00:29:14.211
Is this a table?
00:29:14.211 --> 00:29:16.421
CARSON: Where?
REID: Is this a table?
00:29:17.798 --> 00:29:19.383
CARSON: This is the table.
00:29:19.383 --> 00:29:25.389
[quiet chatting,
a toy singing]
00:29:26.682 --> 00:29:29.351
[TV plays as people talk]
00:29:37.275 --> 00:29:40.195
SISTER: Kels, can you show
Uncle Reid what you showed me?
00:29:40.195 --> 00:29:41.113
KELSEY: Yeah.
00:29:41.113 --> 00:29:43.198
SISTER: What'd you
show me that magazine?
00:29:45.575 --> 00:29:47.077
KELSEY: Oh!
00:29:47.077 --> 00:29:48.996
SISTER: It's OK. Watch.
Just go this way.
00:29:48.996 --> 00:29:51.790
Nope, it's OK. Look.
You can show him.
00:29:52.874 --> 00:29:54.292
KELSEY: No.
00:29:57.212 --> 00:30:02.551
[pages crinkle]
00:30:15.105 --> 00:30:17.232
SISTER: What is it?
REID: What?
00:30:17.232 --> 00:30:19.234
What's that?
00:30:20.318 --> 00:30:21.528
What is it?
00:30:21.528 --> 00:30:23.238
SISTER: What did you
tell me it was like?
00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:26.742
SISTER: Is it like Uncle Reid?
00:30:27.659 --> 00:30:30.996
REID: But you've never seen
me in a wheelchair.
00:30:30.996 --> 00:30:32.414
KELSEY: Yeah.
00:30:33.623 --> 00:30:35.792
SISTER: How do you know that
he's in a wheelchair, sweetie?
00:30:35.792 --> 00:30:37.836
KELSEY: Um...
00:30:39.504 --> 00:30:40.589
SISTER: 'Cause
he's Uncle Reid!
00:30:40.589 --> 00:30:42.466
SISTER and REID:
[laugh delightedly]
00:30:42.466 --> 00:30:44.051
KELSEY: Can you fix this?
00:30:47.554 --> 00:30:53.060
[songbirds fill the air
near and far]
00:31:08.575 --> 00:31:13.080
[footsteps crunch the grass
as birds sing]
00:31:20.337 --> 00:31:22.339
MOM: How 'bout Boston?
Oof.
00:31:25.300 --> 00:31:28.804
MOM: [laughs] I just
remember the cobblestones.
00:31:28.804 --> 00:31:30.764
Why are there so
many cobblestones?!
00:31:30.764 --> 00:31:32.432
REID: When?
MOM: I don't know.
00:31:32.432 --> 00:31:33.501
We went a while ago,
00:31:33.501 --> 00:31:35.435
and it was just freakin'
cobblestones!
00:31:35.435 --> 00:31:36.436
REID: Oh yeah!
00:31:36.436 --> 00:31:38.522
MOM: Oh my god.
Oh, wait!
00:31:38.522 --> 00:31:40.148
Was that when we were
looking at colleges?
00:31:40.148 --> 00:31:42.067
REID: No, I think that
was for like
00:31:42.067 --> 00:31:45.362
the camp walk or something.
MOM: Oh my god.
00:31:46.863 --> 00:31:51.076
Oh! That was bad.
00:31:52.452 --> 00:31:53.703
MOM: [sighs]
00:31:53.703 --> 00:31:56.832
REID: Can you tell
the lollipop story?
00:31:56.832 --> 00:31:57.958
MOM: The lollipop story.
00:31:57.958 --> 00:31:59.209
Oh, with Grandma?
00:31:59.209 --> 00:32:00.669
REID: At the mall.
00:32:00.669 --> 00:32:03.130
MOM: Oh my gosh. [heavy sigh]
00:32:03.130 --> 00:32:05.841
So, we're at the mall,
and you wanted a lollipop.
00:32:05.841 --> 00:32:07.259
So, I get you a lollipop.
00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:10.637
And you're in a stroller in
front of me. I can't see you.
00:32:10.637 --> 00:32:13.014
And like
everybody's staring at us.
00:32:13.014 --> 00:32:16.393
I'm like, my god, why is
everybody staring at us?
00:32:16.393 --> 00:32:19.521
I don't get it. Like, why?
00:32:19.521 --> 00:32:22.274
So, I looked [laughing]
I looked down at you,
00:32:22.274 --> 00:32:27.279
and the lollipop was black or
blue, and it was just all over
00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:30.073
your face and your hands!
It was disgusting.
00:32:30.073 --> 00:32:32.284
It was everywhere.
00:32:32.284 --> 00:32:36.538
So. That's why people
were looking at us.
00:32:38.206 --> 00:32:43.503
[birdsong continues]
00:32:47.924 --> 00:32:52.345
[children laughing,
playing outside]
00:32:57.642 --> 00:33:02.314
REID: Maybe I'm just stuck
in purgatory here, where
00:33:02.314 --> 00:33:07.319
my movement to and fro
is dependent on others.
00:33:10.405 --> 00:33:11.573
[claws scrape door]
00:33:15.243 --> 00:33:19.623
[whoosh and hum of air
and jet engines]
00:33:46.399 --> 00:33:48.401
VOICEMAIL: You have one
new message.
00:33:48.401 --> 00:33:50.654
First message.
00:33:50.654 --> 00:33:52.322
MOM: Hey, Reid. It's Mom.
00:33:52.322 --> 00:33:54.324
Umm I couldn't talk.
I was trying to get
00:33:54.324 --> 00:33:56.534
in touch with you
before Janice came over.
00:33:56.534 --> 00:33:59.871
I just invited her over, have
some dinner and chit chat.
00:33:59.871 --> 00:34:02.415
So, she just left, so
I'm just tryin' to catch up.
00:34:02.415 --> 00:34:05.710
Wanted to, you know,
wish you a safe trip.
00:34:05.710 --> 00:34:06.836
I hope you had fun.
00:34:06.836 --> 00:34:09.297
I sure loved having
you around again.
00:34:09.297 --> 00:34:13.510
And my goal in life is to
get you back on the East Coast
00:34:13.510 --> 00:34:16.972
around your family
and your niece and nephew
00:34:16.972 --> 00:34:19.683
who love you so much. So!
00:34:19.683 --> 00:34:21.851
Give me a call when you're
back home safe and sound.
00:34:21.851 --> 00:34:23.520
Alright.
I love you so much.
00:34:25.897 --> 00:34:27.649
I love you so much.
All right.
00:34:27.649 --> 00:34:29.609
Have a good night,
my boy. Bye.
00:34:42.372 --> 00:34:46.376
[quiet chatting
around the plane]
00:34:55.135 --> 00:35:00.223
[tweens and teens
talking excitedly]
00:35:02.225 --> 00:35:03.601
REID: Hello!
NEIGHBOR: How you doing?
00:35:03.601 --> 00:35:05.854
Good. How are you?
NEIGHBOR: I'm doing good.
00:35:08.231 --> 00:35:14.195
[car radio with the
bass turned up high]
00:35:19.326 --> 00:35:23.330
[skateboard wheels
scrape past]
00:35:25.623 --> 00:35:28.543
REID: I chose to
live in Oakland.
00:35:30.170 --> 00:35:35.925
Accessing the world, for me,
often means living in areas
00:35:35.925 --> 00:35:39.471
I have no initial ties to:
00:35:39.471 --> 00:35:44.934
urban areas with robust
public transportation
00:35:44.934 --> 00:35:47.395
and continuous sidewalks.
00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:51.399
Many times, it means moving
00:35:51.399 --> 00:35:54.903
into communities
already in flux.
00:36:03.661 --> 00:36:06.665
[BART train whirs and
whines along the tracks]
00:36:07.207 --> 00:36:11.086
Being in Oakland is
an ethical purgatory.
00:36:13.505 --> 00:36:16.883
I have freedom of movement
of movement here,
00:36:16.883 --> 00:36:21.054
and I'm only able
to live here because of
00:36:21.054 --> 00:36:23.390
my freedom of movement.
00:36:35.944 --> 00:36:42.033
[lightly percussive harp as
BART whines down the tracks]
00:37:46.806 --> 00:37:52.437
[music builds, and
train whining continue]
00:38:19.297 --> 00:38:20.632
[doors click, whir open]
00:38:20.632 --> 00:38:22.008
BART DRIVER: West
Oakland Station.
00:38:22.008 --> 00:38:23.843
This is the Richmond Train.
00:38:32.685 --> 00:38:34.103
[train dings]
00:38:34.562 --> 00:38:36.189
[music plays at
the restaurant]
00:38:45.865 --> 00:38:48.243
DAN: Yeah?
REID: Yeah.
00:38:48.243 --> 00:38:50.620
Act, act natural.
00:38:50.620 --> 00:38:52.121
DAN: Natural?
REID: Yeah.
00:38:52.121 --> 00:38:54.082
DAN: OK.
00:38:54.082 --> 00:38:56.084
I didn't know I was
getting filmed today.
00:38:58.002 --> 00:39:01.422
REID: Is that OK?
Oh, awesome.
00:39:02.131 --> 00:39:04.676
REID: Thank you.
WAITER: Enjoy.
00:39:05.343 --> 00:39:07.387
DAN: Here we go.
REID: Cool.
00:39:23.069 --> 00:39:25.655
DAN: Here. I'll just leave you
in front of this painting.
00:39:25.655 --> 00:39:28.950
REID: OK. [chuckles]
DAN: I'll go check out
00:39:28.950 --> 00:39:31.077
the other stuff.
REID: OK.
00:39:31.077 --> 00:39:32.829
DAN: [laughs]
00:39:32.829 --> 00:39:35.582
REID: This is actually great.
00:39:35.582 --> 00:39:39.377
If you ever have the
opportunity to be pushed
00:39:39.377 --> 00:39:43.381
around in a wheelchair
at a museum, take it.
00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:47.468
DAN: I'm next, right?
You get to push me?
00:39:47.468 --> 00:39:48.553
REID: [chuckling] Yeah.
00:39:52.140 --> 00:39:55.727
[manual wheelchair
rattles softly]
00:40:05.987 --> 00:40:07.989
REID: Well, there's
an octopus.
00:40:08.865 --> 00:40:11.117
DAN: Is it an octopus?
REID: It could be.
00:40:13.745 --> 00:40:16.289
And then there's
a lifeguard chair.
00:40:16.289 --> 00:40:17.915
DAN: Or is it a bunny?
You see?
00:40:17.915 --> 00:40:19.167
REID: Could be a bunny.
00:40:19.167 --> 00:40:21.544
DAN: Yeah, with like the ears.
REID: Right.
00:40:21.544 --> 00:40:25.298
But I think there would be
an octopus by the beach
00:40:25.298 --> 00:40:27.050
and not a bunny.
00:40:30.803 --> 00:40:33.431
[GPS calls out
directions quietly]
00:40:40.772 --> 00:40:43.524
GPS: Use the right lane
to take Exit 168....
00:40:49.489 --> 00:40:50.782
DAN: Wait.
Did I ever tell you
00:40:50.782 --> 00:40:53.368
in 3rd grade,
you know how I did
00:40:53.368 --> 00:40:55.411
the whole wrestling stuff?
00:40:55.411 --> 00:40:59.374
REID: I vaguely remember.
00:40:59.374 --> 00:41:03.419
DAN: Well, I remember we
had this special guest.
00:41:03.419 --> 00:41:06.506
He was like some world
champion or whatever.
00:41:06.506 --> 00:41:11.427
And we all got to
meet him, ask,
00:41:11.427 --> 00:41:13.805
like just say
something to him.
00:41:13.805 --> 00:41:15.848
He's like,
"Hey, kid? What do you
00:41:15.848 --> 00:41:17.934
wanna be when you grow up?"
REID: [chuckles]
00:41:17.934 --> 00:41:20.353
DAN: Ah, I was like,
"You know, I think it'd be
00:41:20.353 --> 00:41:22.522
really cool to be president."
00:41:22.522 --> 00:41:24.941
And I just remember
him asking,
00:41:24.941 --> 00:41:26.317
"Were you born here?"
00:41:26.317 --> 00:41:28.903
REID: Oh, that's so fucked up.
DAN: Yeah, yeah.
00:41:28.903 --> 00:41:31.072
But, you know, as a kid, you
don't really think about that.
00:41:31.072 --> 00:41:33.324
And I'm like, "No."
And he's like, "Oh.
00:41:33.324 --> 00:41:35.618
Well, that's gonna
be tough." [laughs]
00:41:35.618 --> 00:41:38.246
REID: So fucked up.
DAN: It's all right.
00:41:38.246 --> 00:41:41.082
I got a taste of good
medicine when I was young.
00:41:41.082 --> 00:41:43.251
REID: Yeah.
DAN: It's funny.
00:41:43.251 --> 00:41:45.128
REID: Uh-huh.
00:41:52.009 --> 00:41:55.680
GPS: Head southeast,
then turn right.
00:41:59.642 --> 00:42:00.852
GPS: Turn right.
00:42:00.852 --> 00:42:02.812
[notification chimes]
00:42:19.203 --> 00:42:22.915
[talking,
laughing on cell video]
00:43:07.293 --> 00:43:11.839
[quiet shuffling,
typing on keyboard]
00:43:14.592 --> 00:43:16.010
[cleaner sprays]
00:43:23.559 --> 00:43:27.563
[glasses frame clacking,
quiet, high pitched drone]
00:43:35.988 --> 00:43:37.824
[grunts]
00:43:44.622 --> 00:43:48.626
[high pitched
drone music swells]
00:44:16.612 --> 00:44:21.659
[traffic passes, buses rumble,
footsteps near]
00:44:29.667 --> 00:44:33.546
[wheelchair clinks and rattles
as it nears and passes]
00:44:45.683 --> 00:44:46.684
[truck brakes squealing]
00:44:55.151 --> 00:44:59.155
[wheelchair scraping,
clicking on the pavement]
00:45:03.576 --> 00:45:04.619
REID: What?
00:45:12.501 --> 00:45:13.169
STRANGER: OK.
00:45:18.090 --> 00:45:22.094
[cars whooshing past,
distant traffic]
00:45:38.069 --> 00:45:44.742
[ramp whirs and clatters]
00:46:43.759 --> 00:46:47.847
[idling engine humming]
00:46:51.350 --> 00:46:53.352
[securement belt clicks]
00:47:08.200 --> 00:47:10.911
[quiet conversations]
00:47:23.257 --> 00:47:24.550
[engine revs]
00:47:24.550 --> 00:47:27.720
[over PA] Help keep AC Transit
safe and secure.
00:47:27.720 --> 00:47:29.680
Report any concern to your....
00:47:37.313 --> 00:47:41.817
[soft crackling of wheelchair
wheels along sidewalk]
00:47:41.817 --> 00:47:45.946
[distant carnival music
plays quietly]
00:47:54.121 --> 00:47:56.832
REID: Night after night,
people would
00:47:56.832 --> 00:48:02.546
stream into the show,
some enthusiastically,
00:48:02.546 --> 00:48:06.509
some reluctantly,
some who reacted
00:48:06.509 --> 00:48:10.971
to performances emphatically,
00:48:10.971 --> 00:48:12.973
and still others who were
00:48:12.973 --> 00:48:18.229
insistent on their noble
desire to open their eyes
00:48:18.229 --> 00:48:20.314
to a new perspective.
00:48:21.315 --> 00:48:25.319
[distant music
continues softly]
00:48:29.824 --> 00:48:32.952
As society became
uncomfortable
00:48:32.952 --> 00:48:37.331
with the Freak Show,
it seemed to fade away.
00:48:38.541 --> 00:48:41.502
But really,
it just transformed
00:48:41.502 --> 00:48:43.420
into something else.
00:48:49.510 --> 00:48:57.309
I can feel it when I'm stared
at and when I'm not seen.
00:49:03.524 --> 00:49:05.401
Do you see me?
00:49:06.569 --> 00:49:10.573
[brass of the
carnival music swells]
00:49:15.202 --> 00:49:19.206
[wheelchair rattles,
music still filling the air]
00:49:22.918 --> 00:49:25.921
[music gently fades]
00:49:27.798 --> 00:49:33.304
[soft crunching along
the dirt and leaves]
00:49:40.978 --> 00:49:47.860
The late photographer
Diane Arbus wrote in 1972,
00:49:47.860 --> 00:49:51.280
"Freaks were a thing
I photographed a lot.
00:49:52.031 --> 00:49:55.743
It was one of the first things
I photographed,
00:49:55.743 --> 00:49:59.914
and it had a terrific kind of
excitement for me.
00:50:02.124 --> 00:50:04.585
I just used to adore them.
00:50:05.294 --> 00:50:07.922
I still do adore some of them.
00:50:09.173 --> 00:50:13.093
I don't quite mean that
they're my best friends,
00:50:13.093 --> 00:50:14.637
but they made me feel
00:50:14.637 --> 00:50:17.890
a mixture
of shame and awe."
00:50:20.142 --> 00:50:24.146
[crunching along
the dirt continues]
00:50:34.949 --> 00:50:40.454
[cars pass by one at a time]
00:50:53.467 --> 00:50:55.386
[loud, sudden
scraping, crashing]
00:50:56.387 --> 00:51:00.266
[crosswalk signal beeping]
00:51:13.529 --> 00:51:15.739
[crashing]
00:51:17.199 --> 00:51:19.535
[keys rattling]
00:51:20.536 --> 00:51:21.787
NEIGHBOR: What's up, man?
How are you?
00:51:21.787 --> 00:51:22.955
REID: Good. How 'bout you?
00:51:22.955 --> 00:51:24.290
NEIGHBOR: Hey, I'm John.
REID: Reid.
00:51:24.290 --> 00:51:26.667
JOHN: What was your name?
REID: Reid. R. E.
00:51:26.667 --> 00:51:27.835
JOHN: Oh, Reid? Reid?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:51:27.835 --> 00:51:29.795
REID: Yeah, yeah.
How's it going?
00:51:29.795 --> 00:51:30.963
JOHN: Nice to meet you, man.
00:51:30.963 --> 00:51:32.506
I see you all around
all the time, man.
00:51:32.506 --> 00:51:33.090
REID: Oh yeah.
00:51:33.090 --> 00:51:34.091
JOHN: Yeah.
00:51:34.091 --> 00:51:36.176
I fucking, man....
More power to you.
00:51:36.176 --> 00:51:38.053
You fucking fight through,
man. I see you everywhere.
00:51:38.053 --> 00:51:40.472
I see you down there.
I see you getting into Ubers.
00:51:40.472 --> 00:51:42.599
REID: I mean, everyone
has their shit, right?
00:51:42.599 --> 00:51:44.518
JOHN: Dude, I
have so much shit.
00:51:44.518 --> 00:51:46.186
Anyway. I just wanted
to say hi.
00:51:46.186 --> 00:51:47.229
Hopefully, I'll see
you around.
00:51:47.229 --> 00:51:48.814
REID: Yeah.
JOHN: Have a good weekend.
00:51:48.814 --> 00:51:50.774
REID: Yeah, you too.
JOHN: Bye.
00:51:52.985 --> 00:51:56.947
[clanking, rattling]
00:51:56.947 --> 00:51:59.074
[door lock beeps]
00:51:59.074 --> 00:52:01.243
[door creaks, clatters]
00:52:01.535 --> 00:52:08.334
[shower water pours,
flows down drain]
00:52:14.256 --> 00:52:20.220
[light dripping]
00:52:53.420 --> 00:52:59.593
[low camera hum]
00:53:17.319 --> 00:53:20.322
I keep on having this dream
00:53:20.322 --> 00:53:24.118
that I'm trying to learn
how to play the guitar.
00:53:29.456 --> 00:53:31.917
[breath blowing on lens]
00:53:33.210 --> 00:53:36.422
[crows caw as a melody begins
to take shape quietly]
00:53:36.422 --> 00:53:42.469
[pulsing, driving music,
echoing layers with car horn]
00:53:50.602 --> 00:53:54.189
[crow caws,
driving music continues]
00:54:01.238 --> 00:54:06.243
[driving music melds with
traffic, the chair]
00:54:26.513 --> 00:54:31.018
[wheels scrape along bricks
as music pulses]
00:54:36.857 --> 00:54:42.863
[pulses build, layers echo
and press on, frenetic]
00:54:45.908 --> 00:54:47.493
REID: Heads up.
00:54:53.290 --> 00:54:57.294
[volume grows, pulsing echoes,
chair clatters over bricks]
00:54:59.505 --> 00:55:01.048
REID: Excuse me.
00:55:01.048 --> 00:55:03.050
STRANGER: Of course.
I'm sorry.
00:55:12.184 --> 00:55:13.560
WOMAN: Do you need some help?
00:55:13.560 --> 00:55:14.686
REID: No, thank you.
00:55:16.438 --> 00:55:20.234
[driving, pulsing, percussive
music continues]
00:55:33.413 --> 00:55:37.417
[layers dance, pulse]
00:55:51.765 --> 00:55:54.017
[music suddenly stops]
00:55:55.602 --> 00:56:00.440
[chair rattles quietly]
00:56:02.943 --> 00:56:05.821
REID: Hey, is this your cord?
00:56:06.154 --> 00:56:08.282
Is this your cord?!
00:56:08.282 --> 00:56:09.283
MAN: Uh, yeah.
00:56:09.283 --> 00:56:11.368
REID: You're
blocking the ramp!
00:56:12.244 --> 00:56:13.370
MAN: What's that, sir?
00:56:13.370 --> 00:56:15.414
REID: You're blocking
the ramp.
00:56:17.749 --> 00:56:20.043
You're blocking the ramp.
00:56:26.133 --> 00:56:27.968
FIREMAN: Thank you, sir.
MAN: How's it going?
00:56:27.968 --> 00:56:30.345
Thank y'all for your service.
Appreciate it.
00:56:32.848 --> 00:56:33.849
I'll move it right now.
00:56:33.849 --> 00:56:36.018
REID: Yeah.
MAN: Sorry about that.
00:56:38.020 --> 00:56:40.397
REID: Well, I don't
know why you would do that.
00:56:40.397 --> 00:56:43.066
MAN: My helper did it.
He didn't....
00:56:43.066 --> 00:56:44.776
He's a young-,
he's a youngster.
00:56:44.776 --> 00:56:46.153
He didn't realize it. Sorry.
00:56:46.153 --> 00:56:47.404
REID: That's all right.
00:56:47.404 --> 00:56:49.489
MAN: Are you gonna be
coming back anytime like soon?
00:56:49.489 --> 00:56:51.867
REID: Yeah, I live
right there. You can't—
00:56:51.867 --> 00:56:53.869
MAN: Well, I'll be done
in about 15 minutes.
00:56:53.869 --> 00:56:57.039
REID: You can't block it.
This is where I live.
00:56:58.457 --> 00:57:00.542
MAN: I'm not trying to
block it, sir. I just gotta
00:57:00.542 --> 00:57:03.337
make a couple cuts to build
a crate for a customer.
00:57:03.337 --> 00:57:04.338
REID: All right.
00:57:04.338 --> 00:57:05.797
MAN: Do I have
about 15 minutes?
00:57:05.797 --> 00:57:07.424
REID: Yeah, Yeah.
MAN: OK.
00:57:07.424 --> 00:57:08.425
REID: Sure.
00:57:08.425 --> 00:57:09.426
MAN: It'll be
gone after that.
00:57:09.426 --> 00:57:10.427
REID: OK.
00:57:16.475 --> 00:57:18.894
[clanking over threshold]
00:57:21.271 --> 00:57:24.024
[keypad beeps,
door creaks open]
00:57:26.443 --> 00:57:30.113
REID: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!
00:57:31.948 --> 00:57:34.368
[breathes]
00:57:34.368 --> 00:57:35.369
FUCK!
00:57:39.581 --> 00:57:43.877
[chair rattling along cement,
motor whirs]
00:59:01.663 --> 00:59:06.835
[quiet breeze and
light traffic]
00:59:17.971 --> 00:59:20.515
[cars pass]
00:59:21.516 --> 00:59:24.686
REID: I wonder how many
failed job attempts it
00:59:24.686 --> 00:59:28.273
would've taken for me
to join the Freak Show.
00:59:41.953 --> 00:59:44.998
But a cynical
part of me wonders
00:59:44.998 --> 00:59:47.167
if I have joined the show.
00:59:54.841 --> 00:59:58.094
I've made a career
out of putting myself
00:59:58.094 --> 01:00:00.013
in front of the camera.
01:00:06.812 --> 01:00:09.815
[the hum of cars continues]
01:00:10.524 --> 01:00:14.528
[rush of air and jet engines]
01:00:38.134 --> 01:00:43.056
[quiet conversations as
plane noises wind down]
01:00:59.823 --> 01:01:01.867
-Flight attendants, doors
for arrival, cross check....
01:01:02.534 --> 01:01:04.953
WOMAN 1: Oh, yeah. We all
wanna use your power washer!
01:01:04.953 --> 01:01:06.580
WOMAN 2: I will trade
you a plate of
01:01:06.580 --> 01:01:09.624
Italian cookies
via Grandma....
01:01:09.624 --> 01:01:11.710
REID: [laughs]
01:01:11.710 --> 01:01:13.587
KELSEY: Are you
making a movie?
01:01:13.587 --> 01:01:14.671
REID: I am!
01:01:14.671 --> 01:01:16.882
KELSEY: Oh my gosh.
REID: Oooh!
01:01:16.882 --> 01:01:18.592
KELSEY: This one's cool.
REID: Nice.
01:01:18.592 --> 01:01:21.136
CARSON: Yeah.
REID: Oh cool.
01:01:21.136 --> 01:01:24.306
KELSEY: It's called a quartz.
CARSON: Quartz?
01:01:24.306 --> 01:01:25.932
KELSEY: Yeah!
CARSON: What a quartz?
01:01:25.932 --> 01:01:29.019
KELSEY: A quartz is that
white rock. Isn't it pretty?
01:01:29.019 --> 01:01:30.854
CARSON: Yeah, but why it—
01:01:30.854 --> 01:01:34.482
KELSEY: Carson, how 'bout you
show Uncle Reid something?
01:01:34.482 --> 01:01:37.652
Put it right there. Like this.
01:01:38.653 --> 01:01:40.155
Like that, all right?
01:01:40.155 --> 01:01:41.615
CARSON: Mmhmm.
01:01:41.907 --> 01:01:45.243
[birds singing, a dog barks]
01:01:46.244 --> 01:01:49.289
KELSEY: Selfie-eeeee!
01:01:51.917 --> 01:01:55.211
REID: No. So, you have
to be in front of there.
01:01:55.587 --> 01:02:01.760
KELSEY: Selfie. Selfie.
REID: [laughs]
01:02:02.218 --> 01:02:05.430
KELSEY: Can you see this?
REID: Yeah.
01:02:08.016 --> 01:02:10.185
KELSEY: You wanna
see my glasses?
01:02:11.853 --> 01:02:15.815
REID: Did you know we
have the same eye doctor?
01:02:15.815 --> 01:02:17.359
KELSEY: Oh yeah.
01:02:17.359 --> 01:02:20.111
REID: You saw
Dr. Mathias, right?
01:02:20.111 --> 01:02:20.862
KELSEY: Yeah.
01:02:20.862 --> 01:02:24.199
REID: Yeah, I see
Dr. Mathias too.
01:02:25.909 --> 01:02:27.619
REID: Take it.
KELSEY: Take it?
01:02:27.619 --> 01:02:31.873
REID: Yeah! And then
I'll show you what you see.
01:02:32.540 --> 01:02:36.795
KELSEY: All right. [chuckles]
01:02:41.591 --> 01:02:45.220
[breeze blowing]
01:02:50.183 --> 01:02:51.935
KELSEY: [heavy sigh]
01:02:55.522 --> 01:02:57.774
Can I come down now?
01:02:57.774 --> 01:03:00.777
REID: Do whatever you want.
KELSEY: All right!
01:03:06.157 --> 01:03:09.452
[approaching footsteps]
01:03:16.918 --> 01:03:20.005
[slurping through a straw]
01:03:20.839 --> 01:03:22.507
MOM: Where's your recorder?
You got it over there?
01:03:22.507 --> 01:03:23.508
REID: Yeah.
01:03:23.508 --> 01:03:24.509
MOM: What else
do I need to bring?
01:03:24.509 --> 01:03:25.635
REID: Nothing.
01:03:27.804 --> 01:03:30.557
[birds singing]
01:03:30.557 --> 01:03:33.810
REID: What do you think
about me being a filmmaker?
01:03:36.146 --> 01:03:38.481
MOM: Umm....
01:03:42.402 --> 01:03:44.404
You know, I think it's....
01:03:45.613 --> 01:03:48.283
You know, I think, I think
you're artistic,
01:03:48.283 --> 01:03:53.872
and it's the expression
of your art. The film.
01:03:53.872 --> 01:03:55.832
The film!
01:03:59.711 --> 01:04:03.048
REID: Did you see
how I became politicized
01:04:03.048 --> 01:04:05.341
over the past 10 years?
01:04:06.342 --> 01:04:08.970
MOM: You, personally?
REID: Yeah.
01:04:08.970 --> 01:04:12.390
MOM: Yeah.
I understand it.
01:04:12.390 --> 01:04:14.100
It's a little hard
for me sometimes.
01:04:15.643 --> 01:04:18.563
I guess I see how
much it affects you.
01:04:18.563 --> 01:04:20.857
So, when it affects you,
it affects me.
01:04:25.820 --> 01:04:29.365
REID: Sometimes I feel like
I didn't have a choice—
01:04:29.365 --> 01:04:30.366
MOM: No, I know.
01:04:30.366 --> 01:04:32.827
REID: —that I couldn't
really get a 9 to 5.
01:04:40.085 --> 01:04:43.588
I hope this is my
last personal film.
01:04:43.588 --> 01:04:45.215
BOTH: [chuckle]
01:04:45.215 --> 01:04:46.891
MOM: Enough
about you. [laughs]
01:04:46.891 --> 01:04:48.134
REID: Yeah, seriously!
01:04:53.848 --> 01:04:54.933
MOM: I don't know.
Sometimes I think
01:04:54.933 --> 01:04:57.435
you ended up in a spot
you never wanted to be in.
01:04:58.770 --> 01:04:59.854
REID: What do you mean?
01:04:59.854 --> 01:05:01.981
MOM: Like when you
say "politicized."
01:05:04.734 --> 01:05:11.741
REID: It's just weird because
there's also some like
01:05:11.741 --> 01:05:16.996
isolation in being
that way, being....
01:05:16.996 --> 01:05:21.835
I don't know. [heavy sigh]
01:05:21.835 --> 01:05:28.675
Sometimes I think
I come off as really intense.
01:05:28.675 --> 01:05:30.677
MOM: You do.
REID: Yeah.
01:05:33.138 --> 01:05:35.265
MOM: But that's OK.
REID: Yeah.
01:05:35.265 --> 01:05:40.562
MOM: I mean, sometimes,
you know, sometimes you say
01:05:40.562 --> 01:05:46.568
things I don't understand
where you're...
01:05:46.568 --> 01:05:49.362
why you're so
offended sometimes.
01:05:49.362 --> 01:05:50.363
REID: Like what?
01:05:50.363 --> 01:05:52.323
MOM: And then, and then
I take a step back,
01:05:52.323 --> 01:05:55.368
and it gives me pause.
01:05:55.368 --> 01:05:57.912
And then I, you know, it takes
me a while, but sometimes
01:05:57.912 --> 01:05:59.038
it's a learning
experience for me.
01:05:59.038 --> 01:06:01.833
I mean, I eventually come
around to see your side.
01:06:14.095 --> 01:06:16.097
Have you been home since
I got the fire pit?
01:06:16.931 --> 01:06:17.932
REID: No.
MOM: Oh!
01:06:17.932 --> 01:06:19.517
We're gonna have to
start that up later.
01:06:19.517 --> 01:06:21.311
REID: Oh, that's awesome.
MOM: Oh my god.
01:06:21.311 --> 01:06:23.938
Just cut anything down
and throw it in there.
01:06:23.938 --> 01:06:25.648
It's awesome.
01:06:26.107 --> 01:06:28.014
REID: You got
it filled already?
01:06:28.014 --> 01:06:29.611
MOM: Yep!
01:06:30.612 --> 01:06:35.074
[birds continue
singing softly]
01:06:38.661 --> 01:06:43.791
[cars passing,
voices in the distance]
01:06:49.172 --> 01:06:54.219
[quiet footfalls on bricks,
kids laughing nearby]
01:07:35.051 --> 01:07:39.055
[stepping through soft grass]
01:07:44.978 --> 01:07:49.065
[laughing, playing
in the distance]
01:07:55.071 --> 01:07:59.075
[wind rustles the leaves]
01:08:01.619 --> 01:08:04.956
REID: This monument
to PT Barnum
01:08:04.956 --> 01:08:07.417
went up after I left Bethel.
01:08:11.337 --> 01:08:13.464
It was hard to shoot.
01:08:20.805 --> 01:08:24.225
For the world's most
renowned circus showman,
01:08:24.225 --> 01:08:26.352
it seemed pretty bleak.
01:08:29.439 --> 01:08:32.608
But he still got his pedestal.
01:08:55.965 --> 01:08:59.969
[rumble and crackle
along the sidewalk]
01:09:34.879 --> 01:09:42.845
[crosswalk signal beeps
as cars and motorcycles pass]
01:10:06.285 --> 01:10:10.373
[cars passing, chair rattling]
01:10:17.505 --> 01:10:21.509
[wheelchair jostles]
01:10:29.976 --> 01:10:33.980
[chair bumps and rattles
along the sidewalk]
01:11:15.897 --> 01:11:22.653
[burbling water,
a long, sustained note]
01:11:31.162 --> 01:11:37.001
[long, sustained note
unfolds into a slow melody]
01:11:46.636 --> 01:11:51.933
[chair rattles and scrapes
as music builds in layers]
01:11:55.478 --> 01:11:58.773
[rattling along the
sidewalk as music continues]
01:12:04.320 --> 01:12:08.324
[slow melody layered
against train whining]
01:12:11.327 --> 01:12:15.331
[slight pulsing ambience,
music continues]
01:12:43.985 --> 01:12:47.989
[melody brightens]
01:12:49.824 --> 01:12:55.121
[BART announcements,
train whirs, music continues]
01:12:55.371 --> 01:12:58.457
[leaves rustle
as music continues]
01:13:14.473 --> 01:13:18.603
[music crescendos]
01:13:26.110 --> 01:13:29.822
[music softens, slows]
01:13:42.877 --> 01:13:50.885
[light crackling of
wheelchair on cement]
Distributor: GOOD DOCS
Length: 76 minutes
Date: 2022
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Audio description: Available
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