When I was 12 or 13 and
Pearl Clark's special education class was established in our school district, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up: a special education teacher (that, of course, along with being a wife, mother, and writer--plus, I also thought that it would be fun to be a missionary and a go-go dancer, which might seem like a strange combination to some).
Here I am about to celebrate my fifty-third birthday, and this is how my life has turned out:
I've not become a wife--yet--though I've come close a few times.
I've neither grown a baby under my heart, nor have I officially adopted one--but I've been a godmother and second parent several times over (including sponsoring a sweet, little Lebanese mountain boy named Hassan through
Save The Children for several years).
Let's get something clear about the go-go dancer goal. I wasn't ever talking about wearing a g-string and sliding up and down a pole. I was thinking of being one of those fun dancers on a show such as
Hullabaloo,
Shindig, or
Where The Action Is (the kind of show that was very popular for several years after
The Beatles landed on our shore and gave new life to Rock'n'Roll). What a thrill it would be to be dancing to several of my favorite performers who were guests on those shows! I never did get to do that.
Originally, when thinking of being a missionary, I was thinking of living for anything from a few months to a couple of years in another country to teach people there about Jesus and, in other ways, imporve their lives. Although this has never happened, I hope that I'm doing this when I'm traveling through Cyberspace.
The special education teacher goal didn't materialize, either--not in the traditional sense. However, I've been able to be of some help to people with special needs on many occasions--and that includes through the use of my writing.
Yes, I
DID end up becoming a writer--or, at least, I've deluded myself into
THINKING that I have.
Even though I don't work out of a traditional classroom, there will always be a special education teacher inside of me: someone who loves success stories about people with special needs.
Therefore--as you might imagine--it's easy to lure me into watching a movie by mentioning in the plot that it has something to do with people having special needs.
I'm now going to tell you a little bit about three such movies and show you directions for further checking them out.
As the title of this blog-entry implies, the common link of these movies is where there's a couple involved and one or both parties have special needs (in this case, having some degree of mental retardation).
Keep in mind that where I lead you might or might not be the only format of presentation (e.g. a DVD might be available of a movie presented here in VHS).
Without further ado, here are the three special couple movies--all of them given a five-star rating by me (or whatever the highest amount of stars happens to be for a rating at whatever review site you might happen to be visiting)...
The Other Sister
Carla has just returned home after being in a boarding school for people with special needs for several years.
Daniel has a part-time paying job in a bakery (with that income supplemented by an allowance from his dad) and, also, helps out with the local college band and gets paid in marshmallows for that.
They meet while registering for classes at an adult education center.
These two special people are soulmates who complement each other and are meant to be together--but is that how the people of "normal" intelligence see them? Opinions are mixed on that.
This touching movie celebrates differences while showing viewers that we all share the desire to be accepted and thought of as complete and valid human beings.
Light In The Piazza
Clara had normal intelligence until the age of ten when she was kicked on the side of the head by a horse. She will be, in most ways, forever ten years old--in spite of the fact that she appears to be an adult woman of exceptional beauty. She's sweet, outgoing, and lives life with gusto and expectation.
Fabrizio is a young man of normal intelligence but with a hopeless romantic kind of innocence about him. Unlike many men who travel in the same circle that he does--including his dad and brother--he wants to be there 100% for his wife when the time comes for him to marry instead of marrying one person and having one or more mistresses on the side.
Both his and her families have few worries about money.
They meet when Clara and her mother had gone on a vacation trip (from the United States) to Italy, which is Fabrizio's home country.
This is a lengthy vacation--and one that puts off what seems to be the inevitable: putting Clara in an upscale institution, as it's becoming obvious that she might be taken advantage of if she continues to live out in the real world. Clara's dad is thinking along those lines a lot more than her mom is. Her mom still has hope that she and her husband won't have to make that decision.
The vacation buys a little more time to think things over.
Clara is being tutored in Italian and doing surprisingly well.
Fabrizio is always looking to improve his English in order to better serve the customers who visit the family business.
Clara and Fabrizio fall in love--but they have a lot of challenges to face on their way to the altar (that is, if they ever get there).
Does this story have a happily-ever-after ending?
Watch the movie to find out...
Digging To China
Ricky tells Harriet that she might like him now but that, someday, she won't like him anymore, because she'll grow up and change but he wouldn't..
At that point, Ricky breaks down and cries, and Harriet (as any good wife would) holds him close and comforts him.
Yes, Ricky and Harriet are a married couple, having repeated their vows to one another while they were off on an adventure--in spite of the fact that he's 31 while she's only 10.
But don't be misled--as many of the adults in this movie were--because there's definitely no hanky-panky going on.
Ricky and Harriet aren't your typical romantically-involved couple you might find in a contemporary movie. What they have is a very deep, meaningful, and somewhat-out-of-the-box kind of friendship that's beautifully, tastefully, and touchingly flavored with just a hint of puppy love.
Before Ricky arrived on the scene, Harriet had nobody who understood/approved of/took seriously her dreams of experiencing life outside of her little community.
Before he met Harriet, Ricky had a close bond with his terminally-ill mother but was, otherwise, pretty much alone in the world.
He and his mother were on their way to an institution for people with special needs (because his mom thought that it would be wise to get him settled in and used to the place while she was still around rather than his having to deal with everything at once when she passed) when, almost simultaneously, something went wrong with their car and Ricky had to use the restroom.
This happened very close to the motel that was owned, operated, and occupied by Harriet, her sister, and her mother.
It would be a few days before the car could be repaired, so they ended up staying at the motel--and Harriet and Ricky ended up bringing out the best in each other and growing as people just from being together.
Would they still be friends when the time came for them to part ways?
I'll tell you no more except that you should watch this movie. It will have you wishing for a sequel...
