In the first and best of many late ‘70s needle drops that punctuate Being Heumann, the punchy guitar groove of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger” starts out over a close-up of wheels turning on pavement before the camera pulls back to take in disability rights activist Judy Heumann, maneuvering her wheelchair around crowded city streets and refusing to be intimidated even when a bus driver is bearing down on her with his hand clamped on the vehicle’s horn.
As played here with an iron will and a take-charge attitude by British actress Ruth Madeley, Judy is a tenacious figure with uncommon gumption. But all the pluck and determination etched across her face don’t obscure the point of the opening sequence — to encapsulate the enormous challenges faced by people with disabilities in places with inadequate concern for accessibility.
Being Heumann
The Bottom Line
Earnest but effective.
