Without Pity: A Film About Abilities

Directed by Michael Mierendorf

Without Pity: A Film About Abilities is an HBO film narrated by Christopher Reeve. This documentary celebrates the efforts of the disabled to live full, productive lives. The viewers meet a cross section of Americans in the film. A young woman with cerebral palsy who cares for her baby, while a man with cerebral palsy lives successfully on his own after 40 years in a Colorado institution. The film takes a trip to school with a remarkable 6-year-old boy without arms or legs, visits the workplace of a blind computer expert, and meets a professor with polio who teaches the history of discrimination against people with disabilities. A young man recently made paraplegic discusses his daily battle with depression and his determination and motivation to overcome it and get on with his life. This movie applauds the resilience and potential of people with disabilities and their need to be determined to be self-sufficient.