Rolf Illig

Werner Herzog

Adolf Ratzka

A documentary by Werner Herzog exploring the different treatment accorded to the disabled in Germany and the USA.

Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.

Sima Shimony, age 69, embarks on a mission to find her friends and staff from the "ALYN" Institute for Children with Disabilities, which was situated in the secluded San-Simon monastery in Jerusalem, during the 1960s. Armed with a small camera attached to her wheelchair, she sets off on a journey across the country together with her friend Pini Newirth, also a polio child, to unfold and reclaim the story of the children affected by the Polio epidemic. In a futile attempt to rebuild their bodies so they could walk, the children were subjected to excruciating medical procedures with no parents or family at their side. But growing up together forged a group of remarkable, self-driven women and men with disabilities who eventually launched the Disability Rights movement in Israel.

Láďa is always joking. Petr has his own incomprehensible dictionary. Jana seeks a partner via a dating service. They are linked through their joy in music and their involvement in the group founded more than 20 years ago by bandmaster Šimon Ornest. Strictly, almost despotically, without pity but with great energy and understanding, he not only leads his musicians to a place on the music scene but is also their support and friend.

Every now and then, we get a teacher who doesn't just connect with us -- they make us a better person in the world. Jeffrey Wright of Louisville, Ky. is one of those teachers.  He uses wacky experiments to teach high school kids about science and the universe. But it's his own personal story about his relationship with his disabled son that shows his students the true meaning of life.