The short film
Tying Your Own Shoes, from the series
Reel Creative, gave you an insight on the lives of a group of men and women with Down's Syndrome: Petra, Daninah, Matthew, and Katherine. Down's Sydrome is a genetic condition that causes some physical features, such as a smaller, flatter head than average and upward slanting eyes. Things like learning how to speak and take care of themselves come slower to people with Down's Syndrome then people without. Anyway, this group of people, ages 22 to 41 live normal lives, traveling, working, and living on their own. They all have normal jobs, but when they are not working they are artists. Despite their attempts to live normal lives, they cannot escape the fact that they are different, suffering from down syndrome. They still receive looks form strangers on busses and trains, and are treated as if they are unable to be normal people. "Its just rude." one of the women from the film comments. This wonderful short film gives you a look into these people, showing you that even through they appear different on the outside they are still just regular people on the inside.
The thing I really loved about this movie was how they used the group's artwork to portray their stories. While Petra, Daninah, Matthew, and Katherine told their stories, their own artwork was used to illustrate it. I loved this because it brought the stories to life. It was a way of really seeing what the stories meant to the people telling them. I also loved the the animation. Instead of just showing the pictures, they animated them and made a little movie out of all the stories. I though that the documentary short Tying Your Own Shoes was an incredible movie, and I would definitely recommend it.
