Directed by Ryan Gielen
Runtime: 88 Minutes
Available on Discovery Plus, March 11th

by Miguel Alejandro Marquez, Staff Writer

Where do we begin when talking about the life of a stutterer? Do we begin talking about the pain? The heartbreak? The prejudice? All of the burdens that come with such a disorder? These are the questions asked by the filmmakers behind My Beautiful Stutter. We begin with the lives of multiple child stutterers, all handling the pressures of the teenage years. All handling the fact that this disorder might be something they will carry on into adulthood and for the rest of their lives.

Discrimination and being seen as social outcasts are the topics looming over the heads of the members of Camp Say, A camp for those who share the same disorder. The purpose of the camp is to find reasons for why their “problem” is a beauty. By being introduced to the world of the disadvantaged through the eyes of a child, the viewer is pulled into the repercussions of not being informed of the disorder. We are put in a position where we have to ask if society is helping the disadvantaged in all areas, in all issues. My Beautiful Stutter is a film that shows the multiple reasons why stuttering is beautiful and why the people who handle the disorder are beautiful. Not since The King’s Speech has there been a more honest portrayal of such a monumental issue.

We follow the stories of Malcolm, Will, Sarah, Julianna, Melanie, and Emily. They serve as a portrait of American children who suffer from stuttering and the social implications of having such a disorder. The film, and the people who are involved, show the processes of dealing with and maintaining speech and the coping mechanisms of the family members, friends, and loved ones. We get to see the real effects of such an issue through moments where both the parents and the actual campers are asked how the issue has both negatively affected them and has made them evaluate what is truly important to them.

It’s a film that doesn’t want to sugarcoat the experiences of the disadvantaged, yet is still optimistic about the lives of the disabled.

Stuttering, as portrayed by the film, is only a problem for those who don’t want to tolerate it. The social aspects of the disorder and the ignorance of the general public, serve as the antagonists in the lives of the campers. We go from the beauty that can be seen in the friendship of those who suffer, and the negative aspects of high school, and the rise of bullying towards those who have stuttering. One of the more hopeful and cheery aspects of the film is its portrayal of the American kid. Yes, we see kids who have suffered throughout their lives, but we get to see that there is very little difference between the “average” American teenager and the ones who suffer from disabilities. The interactions between child and parent, parent and child, teacher and student, camp counselor and camper, are friendly reminders of the ways we are all called to see each other as equals.

I do wonder about the reasoning to choose the camp as the film’s primary focus. Why are we in this part of the country, with this camp? What is its significance? Yes, it’s a place where the disadvantaged can grow, but what are the after-effects of the experience? What breakthroughs can be made at Camp Say, rather than being with people with the same disability? How is this location helping the disadvantaged rather than any other part of the country? The film, in my opinion, does not answer these questions. This is a film with a soft opening, with no real introduction to where we are and no real conclusion to how we, the viewers, can help with the issues presented. The adding of random and banal moments, such as the basketball segment found around the sixty-minute mark, are the only low points of the film. The moments that resonate less feel more as an advertisement for the camp and the organization rather than as an example of how stuttering is affecting the children. Besides these flaws, the film still is a glowing reminder of how movie-making can shine a light on the serious issues still present in society.

The film cuts in and out of the highs and lows of these young Americans, through the viewpoint of someone who’s faced these problems already. The film’s main focus, SAY Founder Taro Alexander, lives his life in service to the children of camp Say. He serves as the main viewpoint of the film, tying together the issues that the camp faces and the ways they are pushed against by society. He is a clear and open example of why stuttering is beautiful, emphasizing kindness in everything he does, regardless of how he speaks. My Beautiful Stutter opens up as a retort to those who dismiss stuttering, showing that acts of beauty, especially acts done through the arts, can go past any disability. To quote a poem by Erin Schick, a fellow stutterer and someone admired by Emily, a member of Camp Say: “My mouth spit shines syllables until they sparkle. So my voice is the only one like it. This is not a speech impediment. My voice is an instrument. My stutter its greatest symphony. My speech composed by God.”