Middleground

Middleground is a short documentary project that explores the intricacies of California’s disability support system through the lens of individual experience. Four recent graduates of a vocational training program for adults with developmental disabilities — Griffin, Thomas, Alana, and Sean — are weeks away from moving into their new apartments and starting their independent lives. However, due to a gap in scheduling, their upcoming internship program, “Project SEARCH,” is set to begin two weeks before their leases start, requiring them to live together in a group home supervised by Griffin’s mother, Karen. Shot over the course of a few weeks, the film documents their collective experiences during this time, following Karen and the group as they settle into living together, as well as begin the first few weeks of their new internship. In capturing this unique interim period, MIDDLEGROUND sheds light on the complications of disability support in the U.S., and how people of all abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds inevitably face gaps within the system at large.

Directed by Alex Herz (USA)