Brazilian filmmakers Victor Di Marco and Márcio Picoli’s debut feature, “London,” challenges conventional portrayals of disability in film. The film centers on London, a disabled young adult who works as a dominant in a fetish house, and his contemplation of a new diagnostic imaging test.
The filmmakers, who began developing the script years ago, were frustrated by how disability is often depicted in cinema – as something needing to be “fixed” or as a form of punishment. They aimed to create a character who views his disability positively and seeks to understand his body without fear of being reduced to a clinical label. According to Picoli, “London” is a direct response to the societal tendency to see disabled people as bodies to be fixed, a theme central to their previous work.
Di Marco, who also stars as the titular character, explains that they wanted to explore “whether we could build a cinematic language that revolved around seeing disability as a particular kind of intelligence and existing.” He adds that he aimed to create a physical language on screen, showcasing a unique intelligence and way of life specific to his body.
The film has drawn comparisons to the work of David Cronenberg, which Picoli and Di Marco see as an “honor.” Picoli notes that “London” can be seen as an “anti-Cronenberg” in some ways, with the character repurposing objects and exploring adaptation. Di Marco elaborates, stating he also wanted to create a classic melodrama centered around a disabled protagonist, contrasting with Cronenberg’s focus on bodies being taken apart and reimagined for the future. “London is looking at the disabled body in the now,” he says.
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