Headspace

For most single people without children, when conditions at home become unbearable, there is the option of moving away and trying something else. Disabled people, however, may lack that option, forcing them to resort to more radical solutions. Tony (Mark Smith), who has Down Syndrome, needs to live in a group home where he can get support with things like managing money and preparing meals, but doing so means having to put up with Michael (Daniel Ryan), who plays the same song continuously, unwilling to turn it off even at the dinner table.

Headphones are the obvious solution. Unfortunately for Tony, his have broken and he has no money with which to buy more. He does what is known in the system as ‘therapeutic work’ in a supermarket; it’s preferable to being idle, but his boss just doesn’t seem to comprehend the idea that, since other people are getting paid for performing the same tasks, he might deserve wages. In every aspect of life, he’s expected to grin and bear it for other people’s sake. But when it becomes clear that the rules will never offer you justice, what do you do? It might be time to start breaking them.

Aisling Byrne’s Oscar-qualifying short doesn’t ask viewers to pit Tony because of his disability. It asks the we empathise with him, something most will find easy to do. Balancing its grim observations with sly humour, it very effectively captures the community dynamics in both the home and the workspace. This is thanks in significant part to Smith, who can show us hard-done-by whilst retaining a warmth and charisma which would make him a natural fit for a Ken Loach film or similar.

A film about the small acts of rebellion and the unexpected connections which make us feel human, Headspace is a strong piece of work with a lot to recommend it.