Cast Offs essay start

Represenations of disablilities.
Cast Offs:
Stereotypically people would see a person with a disability as being dependant on another person and needing to be cared for. However in this scene in 'Cast Offs', we see a boy who is in a wheelchair that has been left on a lonely and desolate island in the middle of nowhere. As he gets out off the boat, we see that he is dependant on the man that was with him to get him safely ashore and bring him his wheelchair but would not let him aid him in getting into the chair.This could show that he is determined to over come his new disability and that he can do it by himself without needing anyone. Once he manages to get himself into his wheechair, he gets stuck in the sand when trying to wheel towards the beach. Even though he worked around it and got himself out of the situation, the audience still sympathises for him and has an urge to want to help him out and we realise that there is actually no-one there to help if he did get really stuck.


The name in itself could be a harsh way in representing people with a disablilty within society; put aside, isolated from the rest of society that are handi capable. As in some people may not know how to deal with someone with a disability or being in a situation in which they have to care for someone with a disability. An example of this would be when the boy in the wheelchairs dad tried and failed at having a go at being in his wheelchair. Showing that its not an easy thing and that he is trying to make the best out of a situation which is new to them both. This again can create a certain emotion for the audience to be feeling; symapthetic and maybe trying to relate themselves to a 'what if' situation for them to have to deal with. The relationship between the two is kind of revealed when the dad tries to manouver the wheelchair, they may used to joke around, have a laugh together and had a good relationship prior to the accident.


When the camera pans around the island revealing to the audience where he has to get to its from his point of view. This way, we can see it from his perspective and what he is up against and it also establishes the setting. The distance in which he has to get to looks very long and tiring and the fact that he is in a wheelchair enhances that even more. Jump cuts are used to show how far he has wheeled whilst time has lapsed and gone past quickly as he's struggling. The use of the jump cut makes it seem to the audience that it is taking him forever and is very tiring, again making it obvious how hard it must be for him.


Verisimilitude is created subtly in the noises that would be expected to be heard when on an island, it makes it seem normal and realisitc. Digetic sounds also help to create a sense of realism, for example when on the boat we could hear crashing of waves and when there is a flashback to when the boy used to play basketball we could hear the cheers of crowds and the bouncing of the basketball. The flashback also helps the audience identify with the boy as it reveals a little bit more about him and gives a better understanding of what happened to him.