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Sapphic Cinema: T11 Incomplete Tells a Passionate, Political Love Story

Incomplete movie review

Video Incomplete movie review

every once in a while you see a movie so impressive that it grabs your full attention. and incomplete t11 is one of those. the love story between kate, a domestic helper whose life is falling apart, and laura, a disabled young woman who lives with her controlling brother, is beautiful to witness. it’s so raw and captivating that you won’t feel the need to peek at your phone for fear of missing a thing. its characters, each flawed and vulnerable in their own way, draw you into the story. None other than our protagonist, Kate (Karen Sillas). there is real tenderness in the way kate cares for her patients. she bathes, shaves and spoon-feeds strangers with a smile on her face. But Kate also steals from them, pulling a few bills out of thick piles of money whenever she’s not being watched. After ten years sober, Kate is still struggling to make amends with a son who resents her, and she punishes Kate for her past mistakes by limiting contact with her grandson even though she lives in poverty, unable to replace even the sneakers she wears. they’re falling apart, kate doesn’t spend any of the money she takes on herself. she buys painkillers for her only companion, a dying cat, and an extravagant gift for her grandson because “it’s what he wanted.” Desperately in need of money, Kate takes on another patient. Laura (Kristen Renton) lost her longtime girlfriend and the use of her legs in a car accident. t11 incomplete, the title of the film, refers to the spinal injury that paralyzed her. The accident happened four years ago, and Laura had been living an independent life-until she broke her collarbone. In Kate, she finds not only physical support, but also a partner who is able to see her as a person rather than as a patient.

but as kate’s relationship with laura deepens, her past catches up with her. And Steve, wary of the intimacy between Kate and her sister, makes sure the net around her tightens. incomplete t11 is subtle and light in exposure. we follow the characters through scenes both extraordinary and everyday, and are left to form our own judgments of their actions. solitary shots of kate smoking on her porch, or laura feeling lost at the party her brother insists on throwing for her, take only a few moments. however, they communicate much about each woman’s life and the isolation that unites them. and t11 is quietly radical in its depiction of lesbian love. How many stories acknowledge that a middle-aged grandmother or disabled woman is desirable? but that’s exactly what t11 ​​does, without fanfare. and that’s what makes the movie so powerful. Too often, disabled people don’t appear in love stories, gay or straight. However, Laura recognized that she ignited a passion in Kate that would otherwise be missing from her life. It is Laura who initiates the romantic and sexual contact, and media portrayals of disabled people having agency in their love lives are still unfortunately rare. director suzanne guacci is disabled and made sure to hire cast and crew members with disabilities, which adds authenticity to the story she tells. “my theory has always been ‘if it’s not me, a disabled lesbian writer/director, then who?’ it has to start with me,” guacci says, “and by being inclusive we are opening the reach of this film to various honest representation.” it is significant that laura has adapted to her disability; she is never treated as a source of distress. Rather, Steve’s overbearing behavior is the source of Laura’s problems. when steve pushes laura’s wheelchair into the game she’s trying to escape from, infantilizes laura to undermine her relationship with kate, her controlling streak becomes apparent. while there are certainly red flags, t11 never offers a definitive answer as to whether steve is abusing laura. the ambiguity of their relationship is awkward, and it’s supposed to be. Through Laura’s story, t11 highlights the ways in which caregivers can exploit their power over disabled women in particular. Yet for all its difficult themes, Incomplete T11 is a film about hope and second chances. their relationship is a safe place for kate and laura, in a world that leaves them vulnerable. and the chemistry between them is off the charts. you find yourself hoping, against all odds, that these two women will find a way to be together. because incomplete t11 is a story about the redemptive power of lesbian love.

incomplete t11 now streams in prime video

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