Disarmed

 About

Director Kia Simon and writer/actor Steven Anacker were already looking for a short film project to collaborate on when a mutual friend told them about a Scottish doctor who had performed amputations on two patients with perfectly healthy limbs — at the patients' requests. The doctor was banned from performing any more surgeries because, not surprisingly, the Hippocratic Oath frowns on performing surgery on physically healthy patients. Steven and Kia immediately looked at each other, "there's a great film in that."

These two patients suffered from a psychological condition known as Body Integrity Identity Disorder, or BIID. People with BIID have gone to great lengths to remove their unwanted limbs, using shotguns, chainsaws, wood chippers, and even homemade guillotines. Many more "wannabes" desperately search online for any doctor willing to perform the operation, occasionally with tragic results. In 1998, a seventy-nine year old man died of gangrene in a Mexican hotel after paying $10,000 for a black-market amputation. As a temporary fix, many wanna-bes also pretend to be amputees by binding up and hiding their unwanted limbs.

What was most intriguing to Kia and Steven was that these people are otherwise very normal people. They are not psychotic. Though they often feel shame, they don't hate themselves; they simply don't feel as though the limb belongs on their body. In fact, people who have successfully removed their limbs are generally happy and don't regret the amputation. Neither do they feel the need to mutilate themselves further.

Could such a person find love?

After sketching out the basic plot of "Disarmed," Steven and Kia turned to improv to flesh out the script and to give the dialog added realism. Robin Honan, who often performs on stage with Steven, joined them to improvise scenes for the script. Robin played the BIID sufferer and Steven her love interest. Kia then videotaped the two as they acted out a perfect first date.

Along the way, Kia became convinced that Steven and Robin should play the parts in the film. Neither had done film work before, but in rehearsals, Kia saw that they were able to maintain the spontaneity and truthfulness of their performances even when working from the script. Their on-screen chemistry was great, and their performances wonderful and nuanced.

Joined by talented collaborators, such as producer Dane Allan Smith and Director of Photography Kev Robertson, "Disarmed" took on steam. A successful fundraising party raised $4,500, and many, many donations of goods and services made up the rest of the budget.

"Disarmed" was shot primarily in Jack London Square in Oakland. While it's a perfect place for a date, it can get a little wild on weekend nights, with revving motorcycles and racing cars often disrupting sound recording. The location was chosen both for its charm and for its unusually close proximity to a busy train track. Unfortunately, the trains rarely run on time. "Hold for train" was often called when one wasn't expected, yet with a restaurant full of extras and the principals in place, an hour passed with no train in sight. Finally the scene was shot without one and the problem solved in post.

"Disarmed" covers a dark subject, but it's really meant to be a sweet love story. After all, no person is one-dimensional. Just because a person's life is weighed down by a serious condition like BIID, the person is much more than that. There are trips to the grocery store, there are hopes and dreams, there is love. "Disarmed" is the result of a lot of dedicated people who understood this.

 

 News

march 28, 2007 DISARMED and more on MOVIE CLOSE UPS
You can see a clip or two of Disarmed on San Francisco television show Movie Close Ups, as well as a live interview of Kia Simon. 7pm on SF public access 29.

october 23 , 2006 RETROSPECTIVE on KTEH
Tune in to video i on KTEH, 10pm on Monday October 23rd to see Disarmed, as well as The Dive, In Public Space, and Full Service. Also there will be interviews with director Kia Simon in this retrospective of her work.

march 27, 2006 DISARMED at CINEMA LOUNGE
Disarmed will screen in Hollywood at the Film Independent's Cinema Lounge -- with free Budweiser. That's at Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Blvd, 2nd Level, March 27th at 7:30pm.

oct 22, 2005 TALL GRASS FILM FESTIVAL
Disarmed screens in Kansas!

sept 24, 2005 BEND FILM FESTIVAL
Our favorite screening was midnight Saturday night with a rowdy crowd and a massive sound system. The audience was heavily into the Q&A, grilling the cast and crew on body integrity identity disorder, the resilience of love, and the symbolism of all those pier cranes in the distance.

We were completely thrilled to learn that the Bend Film Festival used the intro of Disarmed as a trailer for the festival. An edit of the opening scene played in front of about a third of the screenings. Robin got a lot of double takes at the festival, as anyone going to many screenings was liable to see her over and over.

Director Kia Simon and producer Dane Smith participated in two filmmaker panels, with actor/writer Steven Anacker on another.

sept 18, 2005 OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Disarmed headed back to the city it was shot in as part of the 4th Annual Oakland International Film Festivals short film program. Screenings took place at the historic Grand Lake Theater in Oakland.

july 25, 2005 DISARMED SCREENS AT CINEMALOUNGE
Los Angeles, CA - Free beer and a crowded theater made for an enjoyable LA premiere. Film Independent (until recently called IFP) hosted this screening in their monthly series.

march 20, 2005 DISARMED PREVIEW SCREENING
San Francisco, CA –The hotly-anticipated preview screening of Disarmed was an overwhelming success as Kia Simon unveiled her sweet story of love and limb... more

 Credits

Emily Jack	Robin Honan Steven Anacker	Robin Honan Steven Anacker
Directed by	Kia Simon
Produced by	Dane Allan Smith
Written by	Steven Anacker Robin Honan
Director of Photography	Kev Robertson
Co-Producer	Jordan Weill
2nd Camera Production Manager	Stephanie Morgan Amy Gatzert
Make Up and Hair Assistant Director Sound Mixer Boom Operator	Lisa Zomer Amelia Bird Marc Kate Mark Dorsey & Jackie Von Treskow
Still Photographer Grips	Nathan Koch Julian Giardinelli Dan Janos Erin Sonnenschein Samantha Liss Hoj
Editor Sound Mixer Colorist HD Engineer	Kia Simon Brian Copenhagen Chris Martin Jordan Weill

Kev Robertson, Kia Simon and Stephanie Morgan

Steven Anacker and Lisa Zomer