Sex is not exclusive to the able.
In 2011, Geoffrey Enthoven’s Hasta la Vista dramatized the journey of Asta Philpot, a man living with arthrogryposis, as he resolved to lose his virginity at a legal brothel in Europe. This year Richard Wong, alongside star Grant Rosenmeyer, bring the adventure to American soil with Come as You Are. What transpires is an adaptation spurred by a rough edge, but quick to reveal a heart of charm and sincerity as it both channels and builds upon its source material.
The film follows Scotty (Rosenmeyer), a frustrated quadriplegic twenty-year-old desperately seeking to normalize his experience, discovers a brothel in Montreal that caters to clients with disabilities. He soon meets fellow patients Matt (Hayden Szeto) and Mo (Ravi Patel), both of whom feel suffocated by the dispositions their hardships force them into. After a bit of convincing, they agree to a road trip across eight states and a country, ferried by Sam (Gabourey Sidibe).
Each of the trio serves as an expertly drawn antithesis of one another, evidence of a script well considered. Rosenmeyer admitted the remake itself had been sitting in the pre-production incubator since 2012, and while the film does feel at times a bit dated by this origin, the conflicts at its core prove timeless. For instance, Scotty’s charisma is enough to carry him through controlled or routine interactions, but with the advent of Matt, he begins to develop a sense agency he desperately needed. The film is keen to balance moments of triumph with the reality of living with a disability. Notably, it never once inadvertently moves to diminish such a struggle, a concept 2012’s The Sessions sometimes floundered.
The film relies heavily on humor to diffuse its most tense situations, but despite its frequent use, it rarely compromises the films meaning. Often, Scotty’s sexual fantasies and periodic perversion are quick to reveal a figure who is as wounded as he is determined. Wong frames Scotty’s frequent sarcastic tangents and rapping as the prose and poetry of someone set on making the most out of the aptitude their body allows. This, in turn, sparks a fire under those around him, both empowering them and illuminating his passion derived from necessity. There are few moments the humor seems a bit strained, almost unnecessary, but even these sequences build towards a greater truth. Comedy is often the thickest veil.
What resonates the most, and what likely snagged Come as You Are this year’s deadCenter 2019 Special Jury Prize, is its focus on the importance of experience. Roadtrip narratives, from the Canterbury Tales to Smoke Signals, cannot succeed if they lose their sense of the journey itself. For this film, such an experience is defined by moments of discomfort, distaste, but above all, honest beauty.
When and Where to Watch Come as You Are
deadCenter 2019 – Sat, June 8th, 12:00 PM @ MidFirst Bank Theater at Harkins Bricktown Cinema
