This is Lizzie’s story and she’s going to keep telling it, but not to benefit herself… it’s to benefit others and fulfill what she believes is her life’s calling.
She makes the case that it’s what she chooses to do with her life that matters, and what she does truly matters.Ī BRAVE HEART does touch briefly on another case of cyber-bullying that had headlines in the news, but this is ultimately to tie into Lizzie meeting and being a mutual, reciprocal inspiration for the other person. My thoughts, beliefs, dreams and desires are what define me, not what I look like. Instead of hiding or making excuses or succumbing to the ridicule in some other way, Lizzie stands up tall and proud, faces her demons eye to eye – or as much as she can when those demons hide behind the anonymity of the Internet – and she speaks openly and intelligently from her heart, saying this is who I am. Not with hatred, but with courage and compassion in the face of ignorant malevolence. But for Lizzle, this absolutely incredible young woman, it ends up being the key to shedding her inhibitions and triggers her true self to emerge and take control of her life. For most of us, we’d crumble in the wake of the emotional weight, have a nervous breakdown or disappear and isolate ourselves from society altogether. The terribly, vile things being said about her on the Internet by people who do not know her or have ever even met her, going viral and spiraling endlessly into a 7-figure view count, this all came down on Lizzie like ten tons of lead bricks. Within what surely seemed like microseconds, Lizzie’s world fell apart. Lizzie unwittingly discovers that someone has posted a short video clip of her on Youtube with the simple, straightforward title “The Ugliest Woman in the World.” This sup-standard human specimen – one which some would refer to as a “troll” (no, not the kind that lives under a bridge, that I am aware) – has garnered a small level of anonymous cyber-fame by way of shamelessly bullying another human being. However, after seeing A BRAVE HEART, I am much more critical of how some people choose to use this amazing technology and how little use they choose to give their own lives in this world. I am as much a user and supporter of the Internet and social media as the next modern member of society, so I’m not saying it’s inherently bad. It seemed, for a while, Lizzie had defeated the grotesque elephant in the room without even having to put up much of a fight… then social media happened. She made friends, participated in extracurricular activities, including cheerleading, and was generally liked by her peers. We learn a little of her history, we hear the expected stories of growing up as a child that’s different, but the really cool thing that Bordo does is to spend far more time and focus on the positive experiences Lizzie has had growing up. Bordo allows us to get all the inevitable societal bullsh*t out of our systems before we delve into the heart of Lizzie’s story. What Bordo does with the film is to unveil a portrait of what we all can be, what we all should strive to be, but rarely excel to become.Ī BRAVE HEART introduces us to Lizzie, intentionally allowing us to dwell on her appearance at first, allowing us to run through our natural human emotions.
She is just a good, honest, real, sincere, likable person. Lizzie is the very best of human nature with pretty much all of the nasty crap cut out. What is it that makes Lizzie tick? There is a strength we witness in watching A BRAVE HEART that shines like a beacon through all the ugliness and negativity we see in the world. All of this and more, yet Lizzie remains perhaps one of the most amazing, positive and compassionate human beings you’ll ever hope to have a chance to meet. Lizzie endured incredible hardships growing up, awkward questions and unpleasant stares from other kids, from strangers on the street, as well as the often-inhuman cruelty that is dealt out in high school. As the title suggests, this is the story of Lizzie Velasquez, a young woman born with an unexpected, undiagnosed condition that has taken an enormous toll on her body and appearance. A BRAVE HEART: THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY is a new documentary from director Sara Bordo that made waves and garnered immense support when it played at the SXSW Film Festival.
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