Big Enough
By Jan Krawitz

Meet Mark and Anu, Karla and John, Len and Lenette, and Sharon and Ron: four couples leading typical American lives, pursuing typical middle-class careers, and living in the suburbs with their children. Yet they have grown up facing challenges that are anything but typical. All but one of them are dwarfs, though they prefer to call themselves "little people."

Jan Krawitz and Thomas Ott's 1981 film, Little People, chronicled the birth of a new consciousness among dwarfs as they struggled toward equal opportunity and enhanced self-esteem. Broadcast nationally by PBS, the film was nominated for an Emmy and won numerous other festival awards. In 2000, Krawitz set out to revisit many of the people she had profiled in Little People, to find out how the past twenty years had treated their hopes, expectations and fears. Did spunky 11-year-old Mark retain his confidence and optimism as an adult? Did 16-year-old Karla marry a little person as she had hoped? Would 32-year-old Len, a comedian with an angry edge, find a way to be proud of being a dwarf? Did the second-generation dwarf children of Ron and Sharon have an easier time growing up because of having dwarf parents? How have their own and their communities' views of dwarfism changed over two decades? And what does the future hold now that many genetic conditions, including dwarfism, may be diagnosed inutero?

• Mark found his wife, Anu, at a national convention of Little People. With a great deal of patience, determination, and strategic planning, they've built a good life together despite obstacles.

• Karla married John, who is average-sized, and struggles with the decision of whether to have a child, knowing that there is a 50% chance her son or daughter will also be a dwarf (for couples in which both partners are dwarfs, the probability is 75%.) Karla also has significant health problems related to her dwarfism.

• Len announces that he has "retired from being a dwarf," and is focused on fishing and his family. He is married to Lenette and has an average-sized son Brandon and a dwarf daughter Joelle. He has to face the fact that, for all his hard-earned peace, he cannot spare Joelle the physical and social pains of being a dwarf in an averaged-sized world.

• Ron and Sharon were newly married when Krawitz met them; they now have dwarf teenagers Alicia and Andrew, who are wondering about their own futures as they approach adulthood.

Big Enough provides a unique perspective on a proud and active community that many people know only from cultural stereotypes. Its subjects confront physical and emotional challenges with occasional frustration, anger, and sadness - but most of the time with determination, humor, and grace.

53 minutes
© 2004
Purchase $229 VHS / Purchase $249 DVD
Order No. QA-424
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-424-8
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-804-9

Reviews
"Not a sappy, inspirational, or condescending portrait, but a respectful and admirable glimpse into the lives of otherwise average people who are forced to overcome the stereotypical perceptions that society thrusts upon them. Recommended." Video Librarian

"Krawitz's meticulously crafted work reveals surprising nuances of character...a rich and rewarding viewing experience." Palo Alto Weekly

"Heart-breaking, humorous, inspirational and educational." Jackson Free Press

"Her subjects are forthcoming and funny, always willing to share how hard it is to live in a world not scaled for them." Washington City Paper

Awards & Conference Screenings
Best Documentaries 2005,Video Librarian
First Prize Documentary
Carolina Film & Video Festival
Heart of the Festival Award
Vermont International Film Festival
Director's Citation / Honorable Mention
Black Maria Film & Video Festival
Best Documentary
University Film and Video Association National Conference, 2005
Third Prize, Big Muddy Film Festival
Silverdocs Documentary Festival
South by Southwest Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
United Nations Association Film Festival
American Psychological Association
CINE Golden Eagle
...and many others

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