“This is how I came into the world.”
This phrase answers many unanswered questions when someone is asked about their disability.
And it does not invite further questions. I heard it in the Pixar film Luca.
It’s spoken by Massimo, a father born without an arm. He is a supportive, loving father to his daughter Giulia.
Massimo is a supporting character, and this may be meant to be just a throwaway line.
Before and after this line, his disability is not addressed further.
At first, Massimo is presented as strong and intimidating to Luca and his friend Alberto.
Pixar’s Luca
The story focuses on Luca, Alberto, and Giulia’s friendship. Luca and Alberto are sea monsters that appear human when they are on land.
Luca is curious but intimidated by the land until Alberto pushes Luca to follow him onto land. Luca quickly becomes enamored with the human world.
Luca and Alberto meet Giulia when they venture into the nearby town. They soon learn that some of the townspeople hunt sea monsters. Massimo is one of the fishermen who hunts sea monsters.
This might lead the audience to think he lost his arm in an accident.
Massimo even jokes that “the sea monster ate it,” when he catches Alberto staring.
Massimo is a supportive, loving father who is a good role model regardless of his disability.
Acknowledging his disability in just one line then moving on reinforces the theme that differences shouldn’t matter.
Keeping Secrets
For almost the entire film, Luca and Alberto hide the fact they are sea monsters. Whether being a sea monster represents something else is not made clear by the director Enrico Casarosa.
He based the film on his life growing up on the Italian Riviera and having adventures with his best friend, Alberto. Luca possibly being gay had been speculated based on the film’s trailers.
Casarosa explained in an interview with The Wrap, “We talked about it, and I mean,
I think the reason probably we didn’t talk about it as much and, to a certain degree,
we’re slightly surprised by the amount of people talking about romance is that we were really focusing on friendship and so pre-romance.”
Pixar Pulls at Heartstrings
Luca has a simple plot but still packs an emotional punch at the end. The scene is between Alberto and Luca. Luca is in the middle of the town’s annual triathlon.
He’s just about to win, and then it begins to rain. If he gets wet, his secret will be exposed in front of the whole town.
Rain in films typically signals sadness and sometimes mourning a character’s death.
Luca betrayed Alberto when he pretended he didn’t know Alberto was a sea monster and watched as people were afraid and trying to capture Alberto.
Alberto returned for Luca with an umbrella to protect him from the rain.
The emotional reunion is interrupted when Alberto gets attacked before he can protect Luca. That was the turning point for Luca to “come out.”
Alberto’s return shows how much he loves Luca, whether as a friend or possibly something more.
Photo by Max Cortez from Unsplash
Earlier in the film, Alberto feels Luca pulling away from him as Giulia shows Luca more about the human world. To prove to Giulia that she will never accept him for who he is, Alberto jumps in the water and scares her.
Scott from NerdSync explains how this is impactful through cinematic storytelling.
“The camera angles frame Alberto as a frightening monster he hopes to be portrayed as to scare Giulia who is framed from a lower angle to make her look vulnerable.
Notice it changes to a straight-on angle as Alberto quits the act that’s proved his point. Humans will always be scared of sea people.
Then Luca turns on his friend and look at how Alberto is framed now. There’s almost an immediate change in who’s the real threat here.
Just moments ago, Alberto took up the entire frame. As the scene goes on, as he’s betrayed and hunted, Alberto starts to take up less and less of the space before he disappears entirely beneath the waves.” (Pixar’s Emotional Cameras, from Toy Story to Luca)
At the end of the film, Luca chooses Alberto over himself and keeping his secret.
Massimo is the first person to accept them after they both “come out” because he knows who they really are.
Discussion around the film’s possibly intending explicit LGBTQ+ representation has concluded that it is a missed opportunity.
The model and message referencing disability portrayed through Massimo were better executed.
Physical disability representation isn’t as controversial, which may have made it easier to create a positive role model.
Sources
Nicewander, S., & NerdSync. (2021, July 23). Pixar’s Emotional Cameras, from Toy Story to Luca[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHUsBijfq4
Taylor, D. (2022, January 5). ‘Luca’ Director Enrico Casarosa on the Film’s Underlying LGBTQ+ Theme. The Wrap. https://www.thewrap.com/luca-enrico-casarosa-is-luca-gay/