One of the fall’s most talked-about films has arrived at home. “Being Heumann,” the new drama from Oscar-winning “CODA” director Siân Heder, premieres on Apple TV today, Friday, November 13.
The film tells the true story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann and the 1977 protest that helped change American law. Here is everything you need to know before you press play.
What “Being Heumann” is about
Apple’s official synopsis sums it up in one line: “They wouldn’t take Judy Heumann’s phone calls, so she took their building.”
Set in 1977, the film follows a young disabled woman, played by Ruth Madeley, and “a scrappy coalition of outsiders” who decide they have had enough. What begins as one impulsive act grows into what Apple describes as the longest occupation of a federal building in American history, as hundreds of people seize government offices and refuse to leave until the official standing in their way takes action.
Apple calls the film “the revolutionary, irreverent and deeply human story of the least likely people trying to pull off the impossible and change the lives of millions.”
The real history behind the film
The real protest is known as the Section 504 sit-in. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was meant to bar discrimination against people with disabilities in federally funded programs, but years later the regulations needed to enforce it still hadn’t been signed.
In April 1977, activists occupied federal offices in San Francisco to demand action, and the sit-in lasted for weeks. The pressure worked: the regulations were signed, laying important groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act that followed in 1990. Heumann went on to a long career in advocacy and government service and died in 2023.
Who’s in the cast
Ruth Madeley, the British actress known for “Years and Years,” leads the film as Heumann. Mark Ruffalo plays the bureaucrat in the activists’ way, Joseph A. Califano Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare at the time, according to Page Six.
Apple’s cast list also includes Madeline Delp and Dylan O’Brien, and the ensemble features actors including Ray Fisher, Roberta Colindrez and D’Arcee Charington Neal.
The team behind the camera
Heder directs and also serves as a writer and producer. Rebekah Taussig, a writer and disability advocate, is also credited as a writer, and producers include David Permut and Kevin J. Walsh.
The film had a high-profile start. Apple premiered “Being Heumann” as the opening night film of the Toronto International Film Festival in September, a slot that usually signals a studio’s confidence in a movie’s awards potential.
What to know before you watch
The film is rated R, so it’s aimed at adult viewers. It is streaming on Apple TV, which requires a subscription, though Page Six notes that new subscribers may be able to start with a free trial.
Based on Apple’s description, expect a tone that mixes rebellion and humor with real stakes, closer to the warmth of “CODA” than a straightforward history lesson. The emphasis on “irreverent” suggests the film wants audiences to laugh with its characters as much as cheer for them.
Why it matters now
Stories about disability rights rarely get the big-studio, big-cast treatment. “Being Heumann” puts a disabled actress at the center of a historical drama about disabled activists, which is still unusual for Hollywood, and it introduces a pivotal chapter of civil rights history to viewers who may never have heard of it.
The takeaway
“Being Heumann” arrives with a strong director, a lead performance getting attention, Mark Ruffalo in a key supporting role and a true story that changed millions of lives. If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend that is both entertaining and meaningful, it’s a strong place to start.
Image: Wheelchair ramp Minneapolis Federal Building by libraryofcongress via Rawpixel, CC0 1.0
