After watching Alexander Hammer’s expectation of Amy “, documentation in 2020 on Amy Schumer’s difficult pregnancy, Jenn Freeman’s life has changed.
In the series, Schumer’s husband, Chris Fischer, is unexpectedly diagnosed with autism. Fisher’s story struck a string sensitive to Freeman, which prompted him to request an evaluation of autism. At the age of 33, Freeman, a famous dancer and choreographer, received a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder.
Freeman contacted Hammer, an old friend, to congratulate him on the series and share his recent diagnosis. The next day, Hammer was in Freeman’s apartment filming her.
The result is “Room to Move”, a documentary that follows Freeman as she sails in the most transformative chapter in her life. Executive produced by Schumer and Fischer, the Doc Capture Freeman over a period of five years during which it develops an understanding of itself and creates a dance performance of a woman, “Is it still Thursday?”
Halfway through the doc, Hammer unexpectedly becomes an unexpectedly a subject of his own doc after being diagnosed with autism.
“Visually and structurally,” the place to move “is in layers and expressive,” explains Hammer. “We weave together truth images, personal archives, fragments of evolving stage work, and poetic impressionist sequences that interpret the psychological terrain that Jenn was sailing – sensory treatment, masking and pressure to carry out normality. Each wire offers a different emotional texture.
Variety Spoke with Hammer, Freeman and Schumer before the first of the first “room to move” of the Tribeca Fest on Wednesday.
Jenn, what is the diagnosis of Chris’s autism in “Wait Amy” which made you think that you could also have autism?
Free man: I had never thought even once I was autistic. I didn’t even know what autism was, but it was the way Chris’s family talked about him that something clicked. Part of the language that my family members used to talk about me always seemed like I was something other than. Or a little outside. When I heard Chris’ family talking about him, it was overwhelming. I will never forget this moment when I looked at him. It was like a complete and overwhelming feeling of the earth.
You reveal a lot of personal information about yourself. Have you ever had hesitations to make this doc?
Free man: Even if it was so scary, I just knew how to say yes. It is as if Chris and Amy were courageous enough to share their stories, so I was going to be courageous enough to share mine, then Alex was courageous enough to share his.
Alex, you discover halfway through the film that you also have autism. A hesitation on your part to put yourself in the doc?
Hammer: In fact, I struggled against this for the longest, and I was beaten again and again, I think, for the best. Giving information and my personal experiences without going too far was a challenge. But, I think it gives a similar perspective but also different from that of Jenn, which simply adds another layer to the story because we have so many similarities and we have so many differences between us. We are only two people. We are only two of the number of millions of autism.
Schumer: It is so useful to get two people who cross it. This perspective is so useful.
Alex, when did you ask Amy to produce the film?
Hammer: I immediately brought her the idea and she said, “Absolutely. Let’s unfold it. And it’s a bit of the motto of the film because we have somehow said: “We don’t know what it is, but it’s going to be something.”
Amy, how would you describe your role in this film?
Alex would send me rough cuts. I do not know what it is to work with me as a collaborator, but I have the impression of being encouraging, and if I had the impression that it was not yet there, I shared it. I just tried to be really honest.
Is one of the DOC objectives to break the stigma around autism?
Schumer: It is to destigmatize it for sure. It is one of the dishes to take away because you know, when everyone sees, it is “love on the spectrum”, that I like, or “Rain man”, people really do not have much reference for that. There are not many people who came out. My husband was released, and that may not be what everyone is, but yes, we definitely want to distinguish autism.
Free man: It’s embarrassing, but one of the first things I did was the Google celebrities that are autistic because it helps. You try to see yourself. For example, what it looks like, and you also try to see if I can have this thing and still have success or something else. When I went to googled, I had a large temple and it is emblematic, but I don’t really see a lot of me in it. So, I think that the simple fact of sharing different experiences (on the spectrum) is good.
Schumer: I would simply add that the point to remember from this doc is not diagnosed and pilot your autistic flag. It’s no longer like – get information for yourself or for your loved ones. Take a test. Discover for yourself. It’s so useful to have the information.
“Room to Move” is looking for distribution.
