Change takes time, but it has to start somewhere. The notion that people should simply wait for things to happen rather than actively advocate for them is a luxury that those with means and access can afford, and it’s also true that something that has been set in motion still doesn’t materialize overnight. Being Heumann is a stirring biopic about one woman who decided she wasn’t going to wait any longer and took her advocacy for the implementation of disability rights in the United States to the next level, determined not to give up until she had actually moved the needle.
In 1977, Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) calls Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano (Mark Ruffalo) each day to request to speak to him about a piece of legislation, Section 504, which was passed under the Nixon administration but has yet to be formally signed under President Carter and will mandate that federal buildings be made accessible. When she’s tired of being ignored, she mobilizes other activists to occupy the San Francisco HEW building. Though their bodies may not be able to sustain the physical stress that sleeping on the floor in a government office for an unknown period of time will surely bring, she knows that giving up means starting right back at the beginning.
This film is based on the real-life Heumann but, after opening five years earlier when she rolled her wheelchair into traffic to make her first big stand for her beliefs, remains focused only on the extended occupation of this building. Though she worked for years after and was even part of the Clinton and Obama administrations, this feels like as key a snapshot as any of her impact, particularly because she wasn’t then a household name and instead needed to work even harder to get anyone to answer the phone or deem her pursuits worthy of coverage. It’s an uphill battle but one that, as soon as she speaks, is clearly the passion that defines and drives her life.
Filmmaker Siân Heder is no stranger to showcasing the three-dimensional nature of people with disabilities after directing the Oscar-winning film CODA. Like in that film, she smartly allows those who have lived experiences to speak for themselves, playing people who may not have the exact same disabilities but who know what it’s like to move through the world in a way where they have to consider each place that they’re going without assuming they’ll be able to get around easily. There’s no judgment or pity imparted here, and the reductive assumptions made by non-disabled supporting characters are present so that they can be rebutted and refuted in an emphatic and important way.
This film serves as an extended dramatization of a protest and manages to cover not only the public-facing moments of it but the more fascinating and layered internal conversations that come up when those occupying the building are spending a good deal of time together in close quarters. Debates about whether the needs of wheelchair users and Deaf people are aligned or not are extremely interesting, as well as the input of a blind protester who argues that proposed curb replacements for wheelchair access will make getting around harder and more dangerous for him. Nothing is simple or straightforward other than the need for action, something the protesters make very clear when they’re told that further review is needed before anything can even begin.
After an extensive career working in television, it’s fantastic to see Madeley make this transition to a leading film role. She has a true charisma that shines through and guides this entire film. The rest of the ensemble is a key rallying force behind her, with Madeline Delp and Andrew Pilkington standouts from a cast of disabled actors, each of whom makes a distinct impression. It’s easy to get behind the message and energy of this story, which doesn’t feature any particular cinematic flair our flourishes but instead remains grounded in the heart and passion of its impactful and fervently determined leader.
Movie Rating: 8/10
Being Heumann makes its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and will be released theatrically on November 6th.
