USA,
1994, 59 min
Shown in 1995
CREDITS
- dir
-
Laurel Chiten
- prod
-
Laurel Chiten
- cam
-
Oren Rudavsky
- editor
-
Cob Carlson
- source
-
Chiten
- gga award
-
Best U.S. Sociology Documentary
-
COMMENTS
Laurel Chiten in person.
OTHER
This intimate documentary is a journey into the startling world of Tourette's Syndrome, a genetic neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle and verbal tics, compulsive behavior and, in a small number of cases, obscene outbursts. Director Laurel Chiten and the film’s narrator, photojournalist Lowell Handler, who both have TS, take us across the continent to meet some remarkable people fighting, surviving and eventually transcending the condition. The trip is unsettling, emotionally absorbing, frequently funny and full of revelations. Take rising NBA star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who uses his Tourettic speed and obsessive-compulsive behavior to become a laser-sharp shooter and the league’s best free thrower. Artist Shane Fistell converts what he calls the “pure energy” of sensory overload into drawings and sculptures infused with his own high voltage. With a powerful blend of drama, humor and heart, Twitch and Shout is an unforgettable “coming-out story” witnessed from the inside.
—Hilary Hart
FACTOID #109
Though the film had won two major awards at the Berlin Film Festival, John Cassavetes’ Love Streams was pulled from the SFIFF program at the last minute by the distributor. According to Cassavetes, MGM/UA was concerned that showing Streams, which the director himself proclaimed ’a crazy film,’ at the SFIFF might hurt the film’s box office upon wider release
