Coming Down the Mountain: Representation of Physical Ability and Disability

In the 'Coming Down the Mountain' extract, there are stereotypical representations of the able - David - and disabled - Ben. Disability is shown to be an issue and a burden on the able characters, which is a conventional representation in media. However, the usual representations of ability are challenged, as the able character, David, can be seen having some negative characteristics as well.

The extract begins with a bird's-eye view shot of the brothers' bedroom. There are clear differences between David and Ben's side of the room. The dark colours of David's side contrast the bright colours on Ben's side of the room - this suggests that they do not live the same lifestyles as one another and that there is a clear division between them. Ben's side is cluttered with colourful childlike toy props, which presents him as vulnerable, innocent and not like other teenagers. On the other side, David, the able character, seems to have conventional teenager elements to his side with a music player and various posters - creating a sense of teen 'angst'. The camera pans slowly around David in mid shot, showing that the voice over is coming from him. David narrates his experience with having a disabled brother through a voice over, saying that he 'tried to kill him' - this implies that he wants to keep his extreme anger towards his brother a secret. When he expresses these feelings, sharp electric guitar sounds are added to the non-diegetic sound, enhancing his anger towards his brother.

The scene dissolves into a short montage of the process of evolution. The black & white and grainy effects and the different timing of the sounds of explosions and animal movement, shows that this section is not occurring in the scene, but is merely a vision of David's thoughts. This montage has been used to demonstrate the biological process of humans, suggesting that there has been a 'mix up of chemicals' in Ben's biology that has made him have a disability. The cut to a close-up of Ben's face, in the kitchen, creates a direct link to him and the montage. The shot of a disgusted look of David's face and the voice over of David describing him as a 'big potato with eye tentacles' shows that he is not happy about having a disabled brother - this immediately hints to the audience that disability is a burden. David's annoyed behaviours, throughout the kitchen scene, towards Ben furthers the idea that disabled people are a hassle on the abled. The parents seem to favourite and care for Ben more due to his disability - as the mother kisses Ben's head but not David's and David has to 'keep an eye' on Ben when he goes to the toilet. This adheres to the stereotype that the disabled are weak and always need to be looked after. Furthermore, this may position the audience to empathise with David due to him having to be a carer whilst being a teenager. However, there is a sense of maturity coming from Ben which contrasts David's almost childish behaviour - even the mother says to David 'grow up' and stop being 'selfish'. This differs from the initial of Ben being represented as childish and David being represented as a normal teenager.

The camera then tracks David and Ben walking to the bus stop - David is walking in front of Ben, which shows that he has more superiority and power over Ben. There's continuous cuts to various shots of the brothers waiting at the bus stop across a number of days, which emphasises the burden David had to keep carrying. In all the shots, Ben is playing with child toys which emphasises the vulnerability of his character. Afterwards, there are various shots of David having to support and care for Ben, and the voice over continues to explain that disabled people 'always need someone with them.

There is a cut to the scene at school, where the students are shown to have rowdy behaviour. The actions of these able students contrast the quietness and normality of Ben's actions, challenging the stereotype that the abled are perfect compared to the disabled. It then tracks to a tracking shot of David talking to his friend about a party where drugs are involved. Ben is seen standing in the background, which again furthers the idea that the abled are more superior than the disabled. There is a cut from David and his friend to Ben and a few younger children. This increases the division between Ben and David as it shows that David leads a normal teen lifestyle, whereas Ben is stuck in a child lifestyle. This positions the audience to feel sympathetic towards Ben, as he cannot be normal like other teenagers. When David gives money for Ben to get home, David is seen through a low angle and Ben is seen through a high angle, which emphasises the idea that abled have a higher lifestyle and power over the disabled. In the reflection of a classroom window, a small science explosion is seen going off - this connotes that danger might occur when Ben is left alone.

The final scene shows Ben by himself on a bus with a few troublesome children in the background. The shaky camera movement suggests that trouble or danger may incur. The close-up shots of Ben's cautious expressions and David's narration explaining that they have 'never been more than half a mile apart' show the unsafe situation Ben is in. Furthermore, Ben is seen on an eye-level which allows the audience to feel even more sympathetic towards him. The extract ends with a slow motion close-up shot of Ben's eyes with different timing of sounds such as childlike laughter, emphasising the vulnerability of Ben's character.

Overall, although the extract shows some challenges towards stereotypical representations of ability and disability - by switching the contrasts between them, the majority of the extract adheres to the idea of the disabled being weak and unable to participate in a normal lifestyle in comparison to the abled characters.