Raili Brush

Cherie Lindhart
Film 1070
12/12/2020

Signature Assignment: ​The Peanut Butter Falcon

What Defines You?

Hollywood first featured a character with disabilities in the 1898 film ​The Fake Beggar. ​Though
this character was portrayed in a derogatory way. The character was blind, he did not have legs and he
was homeless, the character was seen as a type of scammer in the film. (O’Connell) Individuals with
disabilities do not often have main roles in hollywood films, rather they are either not in the film at all, or
just play supporting roles. Hollywood has often portrayed individuals living with disabilities as “freak
shows”. Hollywood did this by segregating these individuals by putting them in special schools or even
locking them away in institutions. (Benschoff) However, in the film ​The Peanut Butter Falcon​, Zack
Gottsagen is the main character. Gottsagen, who plays himself in the film, was born with Down
Syndrome. The film is about Gottsagen chasing after his dreams and the barriers that he breaks in order
to reach them. The painting and quote that I chose to create are nods to the film. Though this is not a
direct quote, there was a conversation that Tyler and Zak had near the beginning of their journey
together. They talked about good and bad and how that does not define who you are. What defines you is
what is in your heart. This was a heart warming film that dealt with the roadblocks and difficulties those go
through and face who are born with a disability. Though Zak was born with down syndrome, he did not let
it define who he was. Zak was someone that had just as much power and capacity of doing something he
set his mind to than any other individual I know.
 Works Cited
Benschoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. ​America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender and
Sexuality at the Movies​. Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
The Peanut Butter Falcon. (2019, August 23). Retrieved November 15, 2020, from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4364194/
Berman, Eliza. “FILLING IN THE PICTURE: Ryan O’Connell’s New Series, Special, Marks a Major
Step Forward for Disability Representation in Hollywood. But There’s Still a Long Way to Go.” ​Time
International (Asia Edition)​, vol. 193, no. 14, Apr. 2019, pp. 42–45. ​EBSCOhost​,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=135738908&site=eds-live.