HELEN KELLER IS NO JOKE @HOTDOCS 2021

That cruel Helen Keller joke that you were telling to your friends when you were a kid was quite childish. You knew from word of mouth that she was dumb, deaf and blind. Those jokes were just to pass time. Although, they were risky as well as you made sure that teachers and those who were disabled did not hear. We knew that it was wrong to make fun of the disabled when we were at that age. We failed to get to know who she really was. Furthermore, why she was being on the brunt of these cruel jokes. Why did not anyone speak up in her defence at the time?

Director John Gianvito can answer that question and many others in his documentary Her Socialist Smile. This is an experimental and unconventional biopic of the most revered blind person of our time. It is a constant reminder of all the things that we continue to struggle with today. Streaming online at the Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, Her Socialist Smile portrays the way Hellen Keller saw things.

Carolyn Forché

Acclaimed poet and editor Carolyn Forché who is an activist herself narrates Helen Keller’s story. But when she makes iconic public speaking appearances like in Carnegie Hall, Forché pauses and online text appears on the screen. These are from those memorable speeches from the mind and heart of Helen Keller. The audience becomes engaged in the text by reading her sonnets of activism. Yet an empty theatre to map her mind and her thoughts that the world was empty with empty minds is sombre. This is followed by questions asked by the press shown in italics against the theatre backdrop. Her witty and sarcastic comebacks were a sign of how she was ahead of her time. This is how she really felt.

From a person who was born dumb, deaf and blind, feelings were everything to Helen Keller. After reading the works of H.G. Wells, Karl Marx and many acclaimed authors her socialist nature was born. She became aware her blindness was from a disease called ophthalmia. Caused by the unsanitary conditions of crowded workplaces and lack of concern from its owners, this disease ran rampant during the early 1900s. She knew that there was room for improvement for worker’s rights. Especially, those working low-paying jobs not enough to buy essential goods and services. A small elite of people benefiting from the labour of millions had this structure questionable and cruel to Helen Keller.

Her progressive movements for woman’s rights and the disabled fostered her to become a militant suffragist. The right to vote and a reorganization of the political structure did not bode well for right-wing governments. The Woman’s Suffrage Pageant held in 1913 where the women were knocked down, kicked and spat upon was the backlash of this ideal. Replying to the limited press, Helen Keller thought the Pageant had more weight than the inauguration of President Woodrow. Unfortunately, there was not much circulation to this story. Her radical views and movements were not even enough to headline news.

Socialist Activism

By the time Helen Keller hit age 30, she was a full-blown activist in socialist principles. She knew that this fight will be an uphill battle. No matter who was the elected government. She felt that there was no room for war and nobody gains anything by doing it. War and encouraging patriotism for your country is just a cover-up for the money exchange for tools of murder and capitalism. Ironically, she can see right through military adventurism. She felt that it was wrong to glorify those who were the experts at war who made many perish. Rather than those who were amazing at congregating peace to others. Despite all the proposed changes to the structure of our societies, wars did not propel these changes. Helen Keller knows that capitalism is still king and war is just a process to maintain it.

So why were many afraid of Helen Keller’s radical views of a socialist state that would serve leftist thinking and progressive intentions? So afraid that they would burn her books at a student rally in Germany from Nazi supporters. Where she replied that her ideas were already embedded in the minds of millions.

Revolutions like Lenin’s in Russia were the beginning of the uprise of a socialist state rooted across the world. But this would breed many deviations of the real intentions of socialism. Like Lenin who were opportunistic in trendy politics and said that he would have the people’s concerns at hand. Rather it was a push for power for Lenin and his party which shouldn’t come as a shock to many. These were some of the dangers that Helen Keller did not see coming.

Spiritual Insight

She had spiritual insight into what was going on. How was she able to see what millions were not able to with their open eyes? Why was she able to hear what you don’t want to hear? How was she able to formulate viable solutions to the economic disparity and polarization of wealth at the time? To feel what she could not hear or see infiltrates her mind to what her current situation was. This part of her world was very dark yet inspiring for Helen Keller. As you can see that she was struggling just like everyone else with this predicament.

It leads us to half of the documentary’s experimental sequences focusing on nature. Close-ups of leaves, trees, barks, flowers and the sound of water streaming were the places where Helen Keller was at peace or zen. She can sense and smell the peace of nature and its organic roots. This is where she was able to sum things up and reflect on how she was developing. This is an effective contrast of the online text director John Gianvito puts up silently onscreen. The silence represents the silencing of rights and the sound of nature represents the sound of freedom and peace. This is where Helen Keller knew the difference and she wasn’t joking around about these two places she was in. She took things seriously and far despite her disabilities which may be the reason why nobody sticks up for her today.

Watch Spirit to Soar now at Hot Docs by clicking this link