Original subtitles

Sound is speeding.

All right, guys, quiet please!

- Camera is speeding. - WoTake two.

All right, Jeremy, focus, buddy.

Game time here.

Action!

- Ready? - Ready, yeah.

Stretch a little bit more.

- Okay. - Okay.

When I was born, I was actually a stillbirth.

I was dead.

And they had to revive me totally.

Cerebral palsy is due to a lack of oxygen to the brain,

so the brain cells that would allow me to walk are dead.

I almost need help with every single thing.

WoWhen the doctor said he had cerebral palsy,

we didn't even know what it was.

And I just felt like my whole world

had just fallen apart, you know?

Because it's not a matter of having

a child that has a challenge.

It's just that you want a healthy baby.

I have CP all throughout my whole body,

and I'm very, very spastic.

I have a lot of muscle spasms, and I need a lot of assistance.

Cynthia: It's getting tougher all around.

His weight actually hasn't changed,

but I'm just getting older,

so it's getting harder to get him up all the time.

As time goes on and everything,

there's less and less for him to do.

I know it's not her fault, but every now and again,

I'd like to get out of the damn house.

I had been looking for a creative outlet for a long time,

and I discovered Zeno.

Everybody's watching the TV. Action, Debbie.

Zeno is an organization that brings people with

and without disabilities together

to make a real movie every year.

The mission of Zeno is to support

lifelong friendships between people

with and without disabilities.

That's good, let's try it once more.

Get a room!

There's about 35 people and

we all get together once a year

and make a film.

And... action!

The way I kind of see it

is like a social experiment in, like, extreme diversity.

- Hey, Alec. - Will!

I'm so glad you're here. How's it going?

Good, man. I love your hat.

- I love your hat. - Hey, get outta here.

My husband Will and his brother Peter and Peter's wife Ila,

the four of us are the directors of Zeno Mountain Farm.

And he's sometimes better with

guys, like, just start out like...

WoWe're really honest about what people's abilities are.

And you're asked to contribute

those abilities and those talents

for the betterment of the group.

Yes! So here's how it's going to work.

Acting is something that I always wanted to do.

My DVR is, like, always 90%

'cause I DVR so much stuff.

So, when I first found Zeno,

it seemed, like, really adventurous,

so I wanted to pursue it right away.

I started getting emails on Facebook from this guy AJ.

And I told him I would love to come, and he said,

"It sounds like we would love to have you."

You sound great.

"But the thing about it is, there's no space."

So, every now and again, like every couple weeks,

I would send him an email, "Is there space?"

"No, no."

You got six notifications.

Cynthia: At one point I thought he was just irritating the guy.

He'd say, "Ma, can you call Will Halby?"

And I'm like, "Didn't you just call, like, three weeks ago?"

And he'd go, "You know, can you just call the number?"

So I would, and so this Sunday morning,

caller ID says "William Halby, Will Halby."

We had an opening, an unexpected opening.

I was like there's this guy AJ, he keeps writing me.

And I just got a... Got a good feeling about him.

Will was like, "We would love for you to come."

And I thought they would be in a couple weeks or like...

Like another... Like Will was like,

"We want you to come this week."

♪ So far gone ♪

♪ We'll pass the precipice so life's been charmed ♪

♪ There's no easy way to write this off ♪

♪ Like a burr stuck inside your boot ♪

♪ Broken rice ♪

♪ When the lights are placed the eyes distract ♪

♪ And the ship, it drifts off towards the back ♪

♪ Clouds looming in the sky ♪

♪ I, I'm coming home ♪

♪ I, I'm coming home ♪

♪ I, I'm coming home ♪

♪ I, I'm coming home. ♪

Okay, welcome to production meeting number one.

Welcome to Zeno Mountain Farm.

Yeah, we're going to make a Western this year.

Shoot 'em up, baby.

The movie is called... "Bulletproof Jackson."

This movie is really, really

awesome, and this movie's different.

Like, we make movies for our friends

and we raise money, that's great.

Yeah.

But this year, we wanna make a movie

that we can really take to film festivals.

Like... Like, a real... A real bona fide movie.

And to do that, we actually have a script.

Whoa!

Like, proper locations for this movie.

We're gonna drive out to the desert.

There's this town called Pioneer Town.

It's got, like, a whole Western town.

It's got a jail and a saloon and a...

And a whorehouse.

It's not... It's not a real whorehouse!

It's a set.

We're gonna make a real movie, and as exciting as that is,

it also means we're gonna have to work a lot harder this year

than we've ever worked, and I think it's worth it.

I think we should go for it and if you guys do too, then...

- I agree. - Yeah.

- Let's do it. - Let's do it.

- Let's do it. - Yeah!

Does Will want you to shave?

I think you might be the only one that he does want to shave.

It's kind of sharp because you work at a honky-tonk bar.

My focus this year with the

movie is working with the costumes.

We have to dress 36 people.

Let me see what you look like. Where's that hat?

Uh, these are actually my own personal chaps.

I don't usually wear them with

pants, but, you know, for the movie.

We got a lot of the costumes from

the Universal costume house,

some of them from thrift stores, some of them from friends.

And it really is sort of like a hodgepodge, but it all works.

Since we're doing a Western,

do you guys want me to cry like Michael Landon or...

Cheese.

We're really happy about our ability to stay true

to the 1890's kind of period,

from the shoes to the ties to the shirts to the dirt.

It's Hollywood dust.

And they say this is gonna wash off.

"For professional use only."

Amir, how do I look, buddy?

Marvelous.

Get those curls poppin' right there.

Girls love the curls.

Great.

- I like it. - I love it.

Clothes just make the whole thing.

Yeah, they do, it's...

You can just transform somebody.

You know? It's amazing.

Man can be golden on the inside

with his best deeds hidden there.

And hard and tarnished, forever on the outside.

We could just say "tarnished."

Yeah, I think that would be better.

Pete Lazarus is the director

of "Bulletproof Jackson."

We're gonna have a big kind of slow-motion moment

as every... As the face-off ensues.

Because I think it will be just like such a fun kind of...

We always kind of have a collaborative directing style.

We write it together, and we all kind of shoot it together.

And everybody at camp

kind of puts in their two cents of, you know,

how we can make this work.

The first film we did never

really saw the light of day.

It was called "Sweetwater Tides." It was a soap opera.

Hello, Judi.

The second film we did was a pirate musical.

I'm gonna take you to Davy Jones' Locker!

We did a story about a team of superheroes.

Where's the trouble? Where's the trouble?

A movie about a young man who travels through time.

What did you do?

- I don't know! - I don't know!

The story of the greatest song that was ever written.

Our horror movie.

It's so dark out, I can't...

We've been batting the Western around for a while

knowing that it was going to be a

bigger project than we'd done before.

I would like this film, "Bulletproof Jackson,"

to, uh, be recognized as...

As a good film.

Here we go. I got your scripts here.

They are literally hot off the press.

Put your... Put your name on your script.

Okay, guys, so, um, we're gonna make this movie,

and we're gonna start right now.

All right. "Open on TV commercial."

Various photo stills of the Bulletproof saloon...

This movie is, um...

awesome.

"Come see me perform today.

I promise I'll change the way you see your reality."

Bulletproof Jackson is kind of intimidating at first,

but then he becomes a hero near the end and everyone likes him.

"Well, you might want to go upstairs.

We may not need that deed to the bar after all."

In modern-day times, I play Benny's girlfriend.

And then in Old West,

I am kind of like a head prostitute.

"We begin to think that they just might pull it off"

until a sinister laughter is heard from the back of the room.

"It is Gar, who's been watching the whole time."

Is that all you got?

I love playing the bad guy so much because for me,

I could be a real good actor

to play of the, um, villain.

"Then he lifts the gun and shoots good old George!"

- Julia! - Judi!

Yes.

The hall of records, 2012, day.

Benny and Ashley stand next to AJ.

"AJ says..."

The problem is, um... Can you read the problem?

Sure, The problem is there is no official deed to the property

and no proof it belongs to Benny or anyone in his family."

I acted for about three years in high school.

Because of my visual impairment, I have to learn my lines

by either a recording or someone repeating them.

People were telling me to relax

because I get to do different takes.

But to me, if I don't know my lines,

I have to focus so much on the technical part

of learning the lines,

that I can't really build the character.

I never mess up my lines, but now for the movie, I...

I don't know if it's nerves or...

I think it's nerves.

You ever see that "Brady Bunch" episode?

Where like she just saw the red light

on the camera and then she's like,

"Uh, I don't even know what I was talking about!"

I think I'm just really nervous right now, to be honest.

But by the time I'm on set I'll...

I'll remember all the lines.

"There's no official deed to the property."

Um, man, why can't I remember that last part?

But the problem is there is

no official deed to the property

and no proof it belongs to Benny or anyone in his family.

There is no official deed to the property.

A little bit overwhelmed because I just wanna make sure

that I do a good job.

- "You got two options." - You got two options.

Say that?

"Outbid Gar at the auction two days from now."

Outbid Gar at the auction two days from now.

"What's the other option?"

Um... I don't know. Say it.

- "To find that deed." - Okay.

You wanna just give it a break and then later we give it a try

- in front of the camera? - Yes.

I just need to chill out and relax.

Yeah.

One of my roles is to match up our guys with disabilities

with sort of an able-bodied helper.

And that's always a fun challenge

to match personalities

and see how that develops.

Can you roll back a little bit?

I had no idea what I was getting into.

Shower time.

Shower time, baby!

I knew once he got in,

I'm like, "Okay, this is a full-time gig."

I thought maybe there would be a

nurse or someone dealing with, uh,

the messy stuff, but it turned out that it was me.

You have to be really comfortable,

and you get heavy doses in humility.

Um, more people have seen me naked than I can remember.

Ah, yeah.

- That feels so good. - It does.

It's a pleasure in a way to say,

"How can I do this where it's gentle?"

We're in it together, and I hope I'm doing a good job.

He's taking care of me in a very personal way.

I think when you take care of someone in an intimate way,

it's kind of hard not to form some sort of an intimate bond.

How's that, brother?

It's good.

This is my normal life.

And you have to understand that you need help.

And that's fine.

Judi and I just finish each other's sentences.

We've been paired for the last eight years.

There's lots of people who can take care of Judi.

I just, um...

We try to coordinate our schedules.

I know I love Judi.

She's just a nice girl.

I have a hard time understanding her sometimes.

That's why I have to ask Laura Davis.

Who wants daddy? Leslie?

- Yeah. - Hi, Leslie, how are you?

Her doctor even recommended

that she gets it as an outlet for her.

She spends a lot of time alone, and

I think having that connection

and someone to talk to is really good for her.

Nobody pays to come to camp, and

nobody is paid to take part in camp.

Camp is one of the only places where our guys with disabilities

spend time with people that aren't

paid to spend time with them.

When I'm at home,

I'm really not able to go out and be social.

Cynthia: Ever since AJ graduated from high school,

he's been going through a lot of depression.

As a parent, you want to be able to be there for your children

and do the things that they wanna do, and with AJ,

it's a whole different level because if I say no,

it doesn't get done.

You got any messages you want to send?

I just want to say on my status, like...

"A day late, but not a dollar short."

I don't know something really lame like that.

Really excited.

I don't really want to open myself

up to following some of the things

that I wanna do, because I'm not quite sure

if I'll get to do those things, you know?

Maybe my life will be that AJ will always be home.

That's not my hope, but it may be my reality.

I feel like in a lot of ways,

like, we're just actually just meshed together, you know?

And so when he goes away, which is not often,

I feel like I'm separate, and I become one person again.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,

and welcome to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater!

Hey, guys! Um, hey.

- Hi. - Hi, that guy.

We are Sentimental Lady. How are you tonight?

I've done improv games in high school,

but this is my first live improv show.

I would like to get more comfortable with improv

because those are really good tools

for you to have as a performer.

You have to be really intelligent.

You really can't fake. You just gotta go.

You want me to go full Hitler?

Suzi hits it out of the park every time.

Do you want another sexual harassment complaint?

I'm not gonna sexually harass her.

And I'm not gonna complain.

I would like to be as good as her.

I think AJ is in for a tough road to becoming actor,

but, um... but not... not so tough that he shouldn't do it.

All of the hurdles that he'll have to overcome

are similar to what any actor has to overcome,

the multitude of rejection and the try, try again.

You never really see anybody with a disability on TV.

And I don't know if I'm crazy,

but my dream is to become a professional actor.

- Can you do me a favor? - Yeah.

Before we get started, can you kinda shift me over?

Yeah, sure, you wanna do that right now?

My hip is bothering me.

I wasn't expecting it to be, you know, easy breezy,

but I wasn't expecting to be as nervous about the cameras.

But I was frightened.

Thank you.

- All right. - That's so much better.

All right, you're gonna kill this scene, dude.

I hope so. I hope I don't suck.

Three take one.

And action.

I'm afraid that Gar is right.

- All right, cut. AJ? - Mm-hmm.

Remember to look at Katie and Alec when you're acting, okay?

Ah, my bad, sorry.

- It's all right. - Okay.

All right, AJ, action.

I'm afraid that Gar... I'm afraid that Gar is, um...

Guard or Gar?

- Gar. - G-A-R.

Gar. I'm afraid that Gar is right.

- Right. - Okay.

And action.

I'm afraid that Gar is right.

I forgot this, uh...

- Katie: Line? - Line, please.

"If there is a deed."

I understand if there is a deed, it would... it would be here.

Yeah, AJ, don't even try to memorize the lines.

Just think about what you're saying, because you're smart.

You got this.

All right, so just start from the top.

"I'm afraid Gar is right."

Oh, I was waiting on an "action."

No, I'm sorry.

Excuse me, that was very unprofessional of me.

All right, AJ, action.

I'm afraid that Gar is right.

If there was a deed, it would be here.

Technically, the bar is no one's.

What the hell?

You got two options: Bet against Gar at the auction...

Well, what's the second option?

Find that deed.

Nice, dudes.

Yeah, yeah, we're done with the first scene of the movie.

Yeah!

Wow.

Scream at the library. Whoo!

- High five. - Yeah!

I have a newfound respect for film actors.

I'm still nervous even though it's over.

It's just the lights and the boom mics all in your face

and, um... But I'm loving it, though.

This is what I wanted to do my whole life.

Um, so basically, what we're doing today...

Lauren and Steve, everyone listen up.

We're basically stealing shots.

So, what we're doing today is not technically legal.

- It's not a huge deal. - Mm-hmm.

But we're not supposed to be where we're going.

All right, guys, camera has speed.

- Sound is speeding. - And action.

Howdy, ya'll, my name's the Amazing Earl Jackson.

Well, what's so amazing about you, mister?

Well, if you come to my show tonight...

I'll change the way you see... reality.

Girl: This is my first movie.

Jeremy's playing Bulletproof Jackson.

I think he's doing pretty good.

You got to act very well, you got to do your job right,

and then you get it done, and then

you can go to sleep for a nap.

Jeremy's come a long way in his acting.

We didn't always give him meaty roles, actually.

The first few movies, he was a bit player.

And, uh, he's kind of worked his way up.

You broke up the band over a girl!

He's really developed his ability to become a character,

but he also has become a lot more professional in his ability

to, um, hit his marks, memorize his lines.

We needed to make a bust of Jeremy's head for the film,

and it had to be accurate for the movie.

So, we were lucky enough to find a guy who does life casts.

You ever been to the dentist?

Yes.

You know when they do the impression of your teeth?

You ever got that?

That same material is what we're gonna use on top of you

to do the life cast.

- What do you think? - I'm ready.

All right, cool.

Just go ahead and put your thumbs right up there.

I'm going to have you stretch this over.

All right, let go.

All right, let's go back.

I am going to have to put Vaseline on any facial hair

that you got going right now.

He's lubing me up.

So, we're gonna start out around your nose.

It's hard for Jeremy to sit

still for very long and to not talk.

That's exactly what he had to do for up close to an hour.

Okay.

Jeremy has Williams Syndrome,

which is a deletion of genetic

material on the seventh chromosome.

Social, outgoing, very musically talented.

They say that people with Williams Syndrome,

when they hear music, more parts of their brain

sort of light up than other people.

I play by ear. That's the

easiest way for me to do it.

Because notation's very hard for me sometimes.

Wolt was clear when Jeremy was two

that he had an ability to play drums.

High school was hard on him.

He wanted friends.

Being social is what he's all about, but

at band practice or football games,

he'd interact with people,

he'd even interact with the cheerleaders.

But, uh... But I remember him saying

to me in those years, you know,

"Why can't... Why doesn't anybody like me?"

Hey, Lee, how are ya?

How ya doin', buddy?

How ya doin'?

Not many people know about Williams Syndrome.

It makes us look like pixies and fairies and elves.

Talking to other people is not hard for me,

but I just don't know how they'll react when I meet them.

We are very, very kind to people,

and sometimes they don't like that.

Sometimes they want people to be normal.

Brushing teeth has been hard.

Math is not a good subject for me.

Folks with Williams know what they cannot do.

He was like, "Well, why can't I understand money?"

You know, because I have Williams Syndrome."

You know, that's kind of it.

Holding a pencil, writing his name.

When he was little, he couldn't go down a slide.

He couldn't perceive where he was in space.

Good morning.

Like Jeremy, Lauren also has Williams Syndrome.

He's such a sleeper peeper.

Similar to Jeremy, she's incredibly social

and loves to meet people and is very sweet

and loving to her friends.

- Good job, honey. - Thanks, Ila.

- How'd you sleep, sweetie? - I slept good.

You did? Did you have any dreams?

- Yep. - What did you dream about?

I was dreaming about wolves and stuff.

Wolves?

I don't consider Williams.

Syndrome to be a disability.

I think it's just a personality trait.

That's what I think it is.

All right, so just hang tight, buddy,

and we're gonna pull you out of there.

I was about to break it

open because it felt really weird.

It felt like a rock was on my head, and I couldn't move it.

Can you feel the suction breaking?

Jeremy was a champ.

He... He stuck through it.

I was excited to see what he would say

when he came out of the life cast.

Welcome back.

You okay?

- I think I need a Fanta. - A Fanta?

I could barely breathe.

Yeah, on the way out, it gets kind of claustrophobic.

What were you thinking about in there the whole time?

Just how great life is, you know, being here.

Wanna get some coffee?

Yeah, coffee, yeah.

And you get shot at the end of the movie.

Is that okay with you?

Zach: Oh, yeah, that's fine, yeah.

Can you... Can you do a dying scene?

Okay, can we... Do you wanna practice?

Ready?

Bang!

That's pretty good.

All right, I think this will work.

Zach plays two characters.

He plays both Grim, the bad guy

in the Western part of the movie,

and then he also plays Gar,

the bad guy in the modern day version of the movie.

Time's up!

Booyah!

Howdy, ya'll!

He has sort of a wonderful

cheeriness about being a bad guy.

He's just great at playing mean guys,

which is funny 'cause

he's a really nice guy in real life.

WoThis is Zach when he was about three months old,

his little baby picture.

We weren't sure exactly what was going on.

They did a chromosome study,

and then it came back that he had Trisomy Twenty-One,

which is Down Syndrome.

The hospital wanted him to be placed in an institution.

They said he would... That their words

were he would never walk or talk.

He'd be a total vegetable.

And I told them that I'm a vegetarian,

and I'll take my vegetable to go.

And, um... I took him home.

Zach's totally independent.

You know, he has his own apartment.

Zach: Those are my, uh, trophies.

And right on top there is the motorcycle.

Shelly: He works later in the day.

Right now he's working at the Children's Theater Company.

On Fridays I usually get off the turnpike

and head over to his dance class.

He gets there on his own.

And he's acted since he was really little.

His acting really comes from his heart.

Yeah.

And I just want you to kind of, like, give 'em a little, like,

knowing Gar smirk and maybe fan the cards a little bit

against your face, and then just flip 'em at 'em,

just turn 'em around and be like, booyah.

- Booyah! - Yeah.

Go ahead.

And put your... Put your Diet Coke down.

I know, I'm just trying act like I were a bad guy.

Okay. Cool, shit, I'm... Okay.

Ignore everything I'm telling you then.

All right, so look at... Look at my hand.

Look down at your cards. Hold up your cards a little bit.

Hold 'em up just a little bit higher in the frame.

Yeah. Okay, look at my hand.

Look... A knowing smirk..

Fan off your...

Booyah!

That was...

I just want you to just go for it.

Just do your own thing.

Welcome to Jackson's.

Welcome to Bulletproof Jackson's.

Oh, God.

It's okay, man, don't worry about it.

Bullshit.

Welcome to Bulletproof Jackson's.

- Welcome... - Welcome...

- To... Bullet... - To... Bullet...

- proof's. - Proof's.

And welcome...

It's okay.

Alec's great, you know?

As you can tell, you know, you can't necessarily understand

everything he says very well.

But he's very good at just kind

of displaying emotion physically.

- Come... - Come...

- On... down. - On... down.

Both: Come on down.

Yeah.

- You got it. - Okay.

All right, here we go. Action.

Come boof come down.

We do like kinda push these guys a little bit

because we have a story we need to tell.

But we just want to do this,

and we want it to be a positive experience.

You got it, you know the words.

Yeah, my... my head not...

Your head hurts?

Not working.

Okay. It's not working?

One more welcome.

Lots of energy, though. Action.

Welcome!

That was great. Think you got it?

Yes.

Awesome, dude, we're done here.

I really appreciate AJ

and how he's living to the fullest with what he has.

You see how tense he is and how much he's in pain.

And I talk to him all the time about like what level he's at

or what... You know, if he's in pain.

He's pretty much constantly in pain.

I'm in pain all over my whole body every day.

I would describe it as a charley horse all over your body

every couple minutes on rotation.

I do not get a break.

I have, uh, arthritis in both hips.

I have a lot of joint pain.

I have a lot of muscle pain 'cause I'm so tight.

So I pretty much hurt from...

I don't wanna sound like sad case, but

I pretty much hurt from head to toe.

Cynthia: He likes being conscious.

He likes being sober.

He doesn't like that whole loopity

thing that pills does to him.

He can deal with pain on a very high level.

And so when he got to the point where he actually began to say,

"I really need more medication," you know?

"My pain is really bothering me."

I feel like my pain is changing who I am, you know, as a person.

"It's changing my personality,"

I really had to be with him in that moment and understand it.

To hear him say that and still...

Oh, my God, AJ still wakes up with a smile on his face.

He still wakes

up with a smile on his face,

and I don't understand how he does that.

And I wanna be able to take that pain away from him.

But I can't.

And I really, really want to.

But to get up in the morning...

and come in the room and he'll still smile

or say something funny or

something like that, and I just...

Sometimes I just really don't know how he does that.

I feel sorry about the situation,

but I try not to feel sorry for myself because it's always...

It's just the way my mom raised me.

There's always a worse situation out there.

A lot of people with CP aren't...

Aren't able to be, uh, verbal like I am.

I may not have a lot of physical ability or a lot of money,

but I have a lot... A lot of love.

So, I'm very, very blessed, so I try so hard not to focus

on what I don't have because it could be a whole lot worse.

Pow!

There he is.

- Who's that guy? - Who's that guy?

Bulletproof Jackson.

We're leaving for Pioneer Town right after breakfast.

We've got a lot of work to do. Let's make a movie.

- Yes, Alec? - Medicine. Me.

Your medicine? All right. I'll get that, don't worry.

A challenge of doing

this kind of project with this group is moving.

We are not a fast-moving group.

- Three wheelchairs, guys? - Got three.

It's gonna be interesting to see how...

How my wheelchair feels in the desert.

I'm not worried for me. I'm worried for them.

'Cause I'm not... I'm not pushing myself.

Yeah!

Comfortable here.

You tuck this right here.

Hey, Vanessa!

Uh-oh, there goes my hat.

Logistically it's... It's gonna be a challenge.

We have a lot of stuff to shoot. We have a lot of stuff to shoot.

- Okay, you're set, bud. - Yeah.

This town is my town.

Why don't we go into the livery?

AJ, you wanna get beaten up?

You can just sort of hit him right there,

and it'll look like you're hitting

him in the face, all right?

- Okay? - You okay with this?

Yeah.

Action!

Where's the money, fool?

Now everything feels really real,

like I can get into the story.

And action!

Where's that money? Where's that money?

I just really felt like it was real now.

It was happening.

I'll show Bob.

You give your line, okay?

You give him the bottle, and then you fold your arms.

- Yeah. - Okay? Watch me.

What can I get you, sir?

I'll have a sarsaparilla and a plate of beans, sir.

- You got it? Action. - What?

I'll have a plate of beans and sarsaparilla, please, sir.

All right.

That'll be two bits, stranger.

What if I told you that I could make these...

This plate of beans disappear right before your very eyes?

All right, cut it.

Give the beans back to Carina and start the beans line again.

And, Carina, just watch your shadow on his face, so...

Carina: Okay.

I don't like beans. I hate them.

I had to eat them in the scene, and it was very disgusting.

Jeremy, why don't you just look around,

look at me while you're eating the

beans, kinda look at everybody.

Pick up the plate, though.

One more bite.

Look at me while you're eating the beans.

Don't make the yucky face.

Why not?

One more try. One more try.

Pinto, black, all kinds of beans, I hate them.

But I like jellybeans more than I like real beans.

There you go. All gone.

Carina: Hey, wait a minute. All you've done was eat 'em.

I didn't say... I was done.

And... presto.

Hey!

Stranger!

You got a lot of nerve comin' here,

tryin' to fool all these people!

You best be payin' for them beans.

Trickster.

Lemme cool you off and, uh, I'll buy you a drink.

That was a bit of a dribbler.

It's not going.

Pioneer Town did not start out smoothly.

Let's try it again.

The slow monotony of filmmaking is

kind of driving everybody nuts.

That was pretty good, just give me one more, one more.

And Baker take two, mark.

Take three, mark. Take six, mark.

Let's try it again.

I thought I knew a little about the repetition

because I watch a lot of stuff about moviemaking.

But it's way, way more than I thought it would be.

Okay, so, we're not shooting for an hour.

I don't know if we're gonna be shooting today,

or me and Zach.

Everybody hates just to be

sitting around a movie set doing nothing.

All right, so we have three sets of lines here.

We were rehearsing our scene and we noticed

that there's another shoot going over there

with hot girls in bikinis and cowboy hats,

so we decided to check that out.

Aras: We wanted to get to know our neighbors.

- A Western. - Ah, very cool.

WoYou look cute. Are you the mayor?

- Yes, ma'am. - Ah, that's what I thought.

- Cool. You look great. - Very cool.

AJ, have you ever been on set for a bikini shoot before?

- Wo- No, no I haven't. I haven't.

Is it as glamorous as you thought it would be?

The real thing is much better.

Yeah.

Aras: AJ, have you... Have you dated before?

Uh, no. I've never-I've never dated.

I am, um... I am kinda...

I'm really, really shy, and I'm not...

I'm not good at, um, expressing myself.

Let's just say hypothetically, the girl to your right

asked you on a date right now, would you say,

"No, that's not okay because..."

No, I wouldn't... I wouldn't say that.

When I envision dating someone and

when I dream about dating someone,

they are able-bodied, but I'm not...

You know, I'm not discriminatory.

Look it, Halby's come to join us.

Is this a total setup for so you can

have a good view for the bikini shoot?

Will, do you know anybody with CP who dates?

- Who dates? - Yeah.

Well, I can't do anything.

When I'm at home, I do... I don't do anything, I just...

Dating... Like half the... Even, like, when you're dating,

you spend half the time on the phone anyway,

just like talking and...

and then once a week you get... You figure...

You go to a movie or maybe she comes over and...

Will, I don't... I don't have... I don't have any money.

I don't have my own money.

Most people wanna go out and...

You don't need most people. You just need one person.

That's it, just one.

There's something called Sex Surrogacy.

They might do some therapies,

or they might actually have sex with you.

But it's basically underground

because prostitution is illegal in our country.

I don't wanna do anything illegal,

but at some point, I would like to see what it's about.

My mom is my main caretaker, so it's pretty hard to say,

"You know, Mom, can you help me check this out?"

We kind of had the discussion, "Would it be okay with you

if I look at some adult movies?"

But she was like, "Yeah, but I'm not going to get them for you."

I was kinda mad, because, you know, I don't know anybody

who's just gonna go get porn for me.

And then even if they did, I mean, um,

I'm not able to basically do anything physically myself.

So, imagine your mom opening up the titles for you

and, like, you know, I don't know.

"Do you wanna see this? Do you wanna see that?"

So, it's not gonna happen.

WoThere are camp crushes between everyone.

Uh, AJ, um, AJ definitely

has a thing for the ladies,

and he's right at booty level.

So, it's understandable.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

What's up, man? If you wanna...

If you're cold, we can hang out in the room with everyone else.

- Okay. - Okay.

Eric's 26, and Elizabeth, my sister, is 23.

I think people forget that just because they're special needs,

they still have hormones and they still have a sex drive.

But it just kind of comes out truthfully,

and it's actually really beautiful.

They're just so romantic together that

I think a lot of people see them,

and then they feel like that's the

love they aspire to have themselves.

- Aw! - Yeah.

I think I'm going to ask Judi to marry me.

You think?

I am because I love her. My heart's gonna race!

I think I'm gonna fall down on the floor!

I have to talk to you for a second.

Okay, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Judi? Judi?

I love you, right?

I love you, right? Will you marry me?

- Yes! - Oh, my God!

Yay!

Awesome!

Don't tell my mom what I did.

Um, he's asked before, several years.

Um, he'll just always say, "Judi",

I love you, will you marry me?"

But this is the first time he actually

came through with a decent proposal

and a ring and a get-on-the-knee kinda situation.

Yeah.

A lot of planning for a wedding.

Yeah.

Did you talk to your mom yet about it?

No, I haven't talked to her.

I'm a little scared to talk to her about it.

- Why? - Because, see, I don't know...

She might not go with this idea, but

I think all my friends at this camp

is happy for me, I know that.

- We're all behind it. - Yeah, I know.

Do you think your mom is gonna not go for it

because of how many times you've been engaged in the past?

Yeah.

How many times have you been engaged?

I think I've been engaged like five or six.

Yeah. To how many different girls?

- A lot. - Yeah.

Okay?

- Not every time. - Yes.

Really?

Yes.

Oh, I thought that was just once or twice.

- No! - Okay.

Oh, God.

The first time you guys got engaged,

it kind of made me uncomfortable.

I think you said something to me that really made me feel better.

'Cause you were like, "Well, I'm just experiencing this."

It's almost like, Leslie, like, I know deep down that there's...

You know, it's not the real experience,

but it's something, you know, for me

that can replace that if I'm not going

"to get the real experience for a while."

Does that make sense?

I'm on baby duty.

She's easy to handle once she's doing okay.

But right now she's not doing too

good because she misses her mama.

Sound is speeding.

All right and...

action.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

It's pretty good.

I blinked right in the middle of that.

Just about everybody had

been in the saloon all afternoon.

Yeah, that's good.

We have about five pages to shoot,

but within those five pages,

there's probably, like, 40 actors involved

in these various scenes.

We're running out of time and ultimately,

that means you're not gonna be able

to shoot everything you wanna do.

Hey, Cesar, can you tell everyone to shut up?

Cesar: Please be quiet out there!

You know, we can walk off the set.

We can go on strike.

- Yeah. - Yeah. Strike for more money.

Way more, yeah.

I want you to be as good as Zach is.

He's really, really good.

What do you mean? Like, ham it up a little bit?

People are starting to feel the burn a bit.

All right, Jeremy, stay in the zone.

Trying my best.

No, no, no, don't do any of that.

Make friends with the camera crew.

That's what I'm not doing. That's what I'm not doing.

Bulletproof!

Jake.

You've gotta follow 'em.

Bulletproof!

Bulletproof!

- That was good. - Wow.

Bye.

Who was that, an extra? The hottest extra?

That's fine, Bob.

No, I don't want your sympathy attention.

No.

- Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

But you gotta take aim.

So instead of just like going like this, you gotta like...

You're aiming at someone, so your arm's gotta be still.

Boom.

Then you go boom. And then boom.

- Gotcha. - So just take aim first.

- All right, Jeremy? - Yeah.

Say, "Testing one, two, three."

Testing one, two, three.

You hear him? Do you hear him good?

Yeah. Yep.

- Slate. - Marker.

Shit!

I guess it's about time you all git.

Is everybody ready for this... this show?

- Lauren: Yep. - All right, how do you start

a show like this, I don't know.

I'll just say, "Ready, one, two..."

We're gonna host a talent show.

It's gonna be pretty spectacular.

How about a show of hands who wants to go.

- Steve, you wanna go? - Come on, Suzi.

Oh, yeah!

Steve's really good...

I don't know if you guys know this,

but Steve has a real talent for making up jokes.

We're always making up jokes for each other.

So, if you guys give us a topic.

- WoPet grooming. - Pet grooming.

Steve's gonna do a joke about pet grooming.

Okay, I used to have a fish,

and one day I went to look for him and couldn't find him.

You have to guess where he was.

- Where was he? - Where?

Under the refrigerator dead.

Um, so AJ and I have never, uh, improvised together.

No, no.

So, we're gonna try... We're gonna

do an improv scene for you guys.

I thought it'd be cool if we did,

like, a fake documentary interview,

like we're two characters in a documentary.

Let's get an unusual occupation.

- WoA taxidermist. - A taxidermist.

So, uh, so we're taxidermists.

Suzi: AJ is a dreamer.

But the reason I think he will succeed is because he...

He blends his huge fantasies with a healthy dose of reality.

We were talking about how castable he is.

And AJ said, "You know, don't get me wrong, I'm realistic."

I know I'm not going to play a lead detective on 'CSI.'"

But he's like, you know, "If they're"

willing to... to cast a character

"who has CP, I think I could be the guy that plays that."

I said, "Yeah, I think you'd be the guy."

AJ and I met in a forest.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - We were...

We were both there on separate taxidermy trips.

Yeah, I came up to Suzi, and I was basically like,

"You wanna stuff some dead animals?"

At the time, I thought he was being literal.

I didn't know that that was a pickup line.

So, um, after a few awkward hours,

I realized that when he said,

"Stuff my dead animal," he meant...

- Yeah! - Yeah.

And I stuffed it all right.

I packed it, baby!

Suzi: That's not coming back to life.

Let's just say that.

He stuffed it good.

You know, our culture and our society

doesn't necessarily expect

people with disabilities to... To be of service to others

and to share of themselves in that

way and to share their talents.

Shh.

♪ I'm not here to forget you ♪

♪ I'm here to recall ♪

♪ All the things we said and do ♪

♪ I don't wanna get over you ♪

♪ I don't wanna get over you. ♪

Suzi: I had a million preconceived

notions about disabilities

that I didn't even know I had before camp.

And they started... And that that was one thing

that was really overwhelming to me

about being at camp for the first time

was you start confronting these things about yourself

that you didn't realize you had.

♪ Same old song ♪

♪ I been missing... ♪

Suzi: I had always assumed that mentally,

they weren't in the same place as me.

That they're not super with it.

To realize that I was coming in with that

sort of broke my heart a little bit 'cause I...

I had to go back through my life and realize all the times

that I had, like, just written people off.

And, um... And then to also realize

it's not cool to write someone off

even if they aren't mentally there.

Like, what am I doing, you know?

♪ I don't wanna get over you. ♪

In your meanest most Gar-ish way,

you're gonna be like, "I'm gonna be aimin' for your head."

I'm gonna be aiming right toward your head.

Yeah, and then, Jeremy, when you hear that...

What... What's your reaction?

I'm like... I'm like scaredest out of my mind.

Yeah, that's terrifying to you because not...

I mean, not only are you facing against... against Grim here,

but like you've got...

The fate is like between me and my girlfriend.

Like, I could lose her easily.

Yeah.

And... action!

Bulletproof, help me!

I'm here to settle this, Grim!

Let the girl go!

We are not finished here!

Okay, that's not your line, so...

"Oh, we'll finish it, all right."

Oh, we'll finish all right!

Good. Say it one more time.

We are not finished yet!

"Oh, we'll finish it, all right!"

Quiet, please!

All right, cut it!

What time is it?

You don't wanna know.

201-Zeno, take two.

201-Zeno, take three.

All right, Jeremy, focus, buddy.

Set!

I'm here to finish this, Grim! Let the girl go!

Okay, stop, cut it.

It's big because it's the last scene of the movie,

and in a Western,

you're only as good as your best gunfight.

So, we really wanna get this right.

201-Zeno, take seven.

It's gonna be interesting.

We have about three hours more of light left

and, uh, half of our setup still to do, so...

If you wanna play the bad guy, you don't get to kiss the girls.

No, but the bad guy always kiss a lot girls.

No, the bad guy doesn't. The good guy kisses the girls.

Would you be willing to play the good guy,

so that you get to kiss 'em?

Oh, forget it.

And camera is set. Gun up.

And fall down.

You know, it's always...

It's always, like, nerve-wracking

right at the beginning, because you're like,

"Oh, God, how am I gonna do this?"

I just have faith because it always works out.

Hey, Zach?

Zach: I'm gonna finish it, all right?

We shot that scene piece by piece

and just got every little detail and every little shot.

You know, guns, close-ups and draws

and just awesome, awesome angles.

Holy shit, that was pretty good.

You know, no matter how insane the idea seems to be,

it just, you know...

This group of people always finds a way

of kind of putting it all together.

Action!

Grim!

Grim!

I'm here to settle this, Grim. Let the girl go.

I'm gonna finish it, all right?

I'm gonna aim toward your head.

There's a time when a man

has to face life on life's terms.

No more smoke. No more mirrors.

Most often, these times come without

the courtesy of convenience.

And it's the measure of a man as to how we handle it.

Cut, cut, cut, cut!

Cut! Cut.

Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.

It was a long day. We shot for 12 hours straight.

But it was a good day.

For me, Zeno's, it's a creative adventure.

It started out as... As, like, a fun

idea, something to do once a year.

And it took over my life.

Everyone say, "Becky Geller"

on three... One, two, three!

All: Becky Geller!

There's burgers coming off right now.

I'm not a religious person or

a do-gooder or something like that.

Our mission is not to educate anybody about anything.

I wanna create great movies. I wanna create great art.

I wanna create great friendships

and... and things that last forever.

Ah.

Ah!

Towards the end of camp,

there was sort of this cold going around,

and I got the cold.

How are you?

I'm feeling all right.

You're looking great. You're sounding amazing.

It's right after the shootout.

Going into the last night,

AJ's voice was extremely hoarse.

But he knew how important the scene was

and so he was just kind of fighting through it.

"And that ain't the worst of it."

Grim killed Judi's husband, who owned the saloon,

"and took over the business."

And that ain't the worst of it.

Grim... Grim killed Judi's husband,

who owned the saloon, and... and what?

I had this one moment where I felt kinda sad.

I was like, "Are you sure you want this?"

Because you're in so much pain."

I just tried to block it out, though.

"I'm not sure what happened"

out there, but I'll tell you."

I'm not sure what just happened out there,

but let me tell you, no one has ever done

anything like that in these parts.

All right, guys, so this is the final scene

we're gonna shoot.

This is it. This is all very important.

This is all big back story,

and this really kind of sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

So, let's, uh...

Let's give it to our two actors, a bravo.

Sorry, sorry.

It was unfortunate timing,

but I had to finish the scene no matter what.

- Okay, bud? - Yeah.

Action, AJ.

That was some show, Mr. Jackson.

I'm not sure what happened out there, but I'll tell you,

no one has ever done anything like that in these parts.

Folks around town are mighty impressed.

No less appreciative.

Really good, dude.

I want the viewing audience to have

the best experience that they can have.

Whatever you are and wherever you

come from is none of my concern.

We found ourselves a hero in you, Bulletproof Jackson.

All right.

You guys wanna say it?

Five, four...

That's a wrap!

When somebody gets to do something

that they've never done before

or something that they'd never thought

that they'd be able to do before,

that energy is infectious.

We're making a movie, and making a movie is hard.

And... And you have to work hard, and you have to come together.

And I think, you know, when the expectations are raised

and we take things seriously,

then people get to live to their fullest potential.

Vanessa: Once you're in camp and you're in that mode,

it's not about what people look like

or people's abilities or disabilities.

The lines completely blur. It becomes like a family.

When you start looking at what

people can do versus what they can't,

it opens up everything.

Why would you want to do mediocre movies?

I mean, we want the best.

Suzi: It's a huge group of like-minded people

gathering in the spirit of what I value the most,

which is fun and creativity.

Judi.

When I'm acting, I get to come out of my comfort zone.

We're just people making movies.

I think that we represent a diverse community of actors

that move and think and talk and act in ways that are unique.

You wanna go say bye?

- Aw! - Bye.

Are you leaving right now?

Aw.

ID's there.

Bye!

We love you. Never goodbye. Only "see you later, so long."

Once you realize how much things can be done

with love and positivity and inclusiveness and understanding,

it's really, really hard to go back to the real world.

- Hi, Mom. - Hey.

I was just calling to let you know,

um, I'm en route to the airport now.

Okay, great, we'll meet you at the, uh, baggage claim.

I mean, I'm ready to see my family,

but at camp I feel...

significance, dignity and purpose.

Other people are relying on me, and I'm contributing.

At home, uh, I don't feel like I get to contribute.

I don't feel like I get to contribute in society.

I just... I don't get a say.

I feel so...

I feel so worthless.

You're a good man, AJ.

Thank you.

Everybody keeps saying that.

I never felt so much love before.

I don't wanna be pitied because I have a disability.

I just wanna be understood.

Sometimes people can only look at disability as tragic.

I'm not saying don't feel sad, but it's a part of life.

Everybody has challenges.

We all want love. We all want respect.

And we all want dignity.

And that's for every single human being.

It's a really important part of the philosophy

that we invite back people year after year.

- Oh, look at Suzi. - Look at me.

- You got makeup on, Suzi! - Yeah.

- Wow! - What is that all about?

Every camp is a reunion of friends.

I forced George to take a big rest today

because he's gonna be goin' all night long.

Crazy!

I'm more excited than nervous.

So you don't feel like you're gonna throw up anymore?

No.

I don't know what was going on this morning.

I kind of like if we roll it up one or two notches.

- Too long? - Looking sharp, man!

- Thank you. - You excited?

Yeah, I'm excited. I'm more than excited.

- Good. - This is my dream come true.

- Mine, too. - Yeah.

Could describe it... It's like, Christmas

on speed, like, I don't know.

Christmas on speed. That's good.

And, uh, his kids are coming back from Hugo Reid...

I think people are gonna be very excited.

I'm excited.

If it was possible for her to be here, I want my mom by my side.

But, she's back at home with my sisters.

She's constantly watching movies,

and we talk about it together.

And we're like, "Nah, this person wasn't good,"

or, "This acting was fake."

So, she's the main person that I wanna win approval from.

Is that the...

That's the name in the... in the marquee.

I'm excited. I'm thrilled. I'm ecstatic.

I'm on top of the world.

I can't wait to see how it all...

How it all looks.

You all dressed? You ready? You good to go?

Yeah, yep, yeah.

Oh!

Oh, man!

Looking good, son.

How long did you know? How long did you know?

How long did I know what?

That you were coming?

We just made it happen.

Wow!

Do you guys wanna go in together?

Wow, wow!

- You ready to go in? - Yeah.

Okay.

Man on screen: Howdy, ya'll!

Why don't you come on down to Bulletproof Jackson's?

AJ on screen: That was some show, Mr.

Jackson.

I'm not sure what I just saw out there, but I'll tell ya,

no one has ever done anything like that in these parts...

I love storytelling

and just, um, connecting with human beings.

I want disability to be the norm.

I want us to have a seat at the table in pop culture.

I love acting.

I... I love acting a lot.

To me the most powerful thing about acting is just...

I don't know if it's gonna sound right, like...

translating the human experience to me.

That... that's what it's all about.

There's... there's nothing like

this that I've ever experienced.

I don't know of any other place

where you feel, like, you're not gonna be judged.

You just feel like you're gonna

be loved, accepted, and embraced.

You just feel free to be 100% who you are.

♪ Educate me, elevate me ♪

♪ I'm alone, hold me up ♪

♪ Detonate then renovate me ♪

♪ Come back, I've changed my mind ♪

♪ In another category ♪

♪ Every bit is fictional ♪

♪ And I'm stuck in my story ♪

♪ Tied in knots I'd like to unwind ♪

♪ Where would I be without you? ♪

♪ Stem to the rose, I'm yours ♪

♪ Carrying one another ♪

♪ Out of the flood and back into the sun ♪

♪ Back into the sun ♪

♪ Hey! Hey! Hey! ♪

♪ Your smile's a revelation ♪

♪ Every day best of all ♪

♪ It's a silent invitation ♪

♪ Showing us all the way back home ♪

♪ It wouldn't be half the fun if we were all alone ♪

♪ Where would I be without you? ♪

♪ Stem to the rose, I'm yours ♪

♪ Carrying one another ♪

♪ Out of the flood and back into the sun ♪

♪ Educate me, elevate me ♪

♪ Where would I be without you? ♪

♪ Stem to the rose, I'm yours ♪

♪ Carrying one another ♪

♪ Into the sun ♪

♪ Where would I be without you? ♪

♪ Lost and alone, I'm sure ♪

♪ Carrying one another ♪

♪ Into the sun ♪

♪ Into the sun ♪