This punky and extraordinary film about disability rights activism in the early 90s told through the romance between Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth is brimming with wild confidence and subversive energy. In its brisk 67 minutes it doesn't quite manage the character depth of similar recent-history protest biopics but what it lacks in structure it makes up for in a winning sense of authenticity. Not just with an extraordinary cast that involves many of the activists themselves - but with a style that uses a smart collage of contemporary footage with analogue recording. There really is a feeling that this is a protest story told by protestors - with all the hope and futility, all the fire and creativity that this entails. It feels like more of an explosive primer than a history lesson, and it feels like it arrived at the exact right time.
Review of Then Barbara Met Alan
