Love Limits
By Thymaya Payne

Warren Barrow and Cory Ann Rudy are in love. They enjoy outings to New York City, picnics, long phone conversations, and sing-a-longs. Cory, who gets upset if anybody else pushes Warren's wheelchair while she's around, hopes they will one day marry. Warren's still not sure about marriage but can't imagine life without Cory. Beautifully filmed, Love Limits is an exploration of Warren and Cory's individual stories and their life together.

On the surface they seem like an odd couple. Warren can talk but can't walk. Cory can walk but can't talk. He is 83 years old, an African American from Brooklyn. She is 36 years old, white and from a farm in upstate New York. What Cory and Warren do share are similar disabilities: both have cerebral palsy and were diagnosed with "mild mental retardation" as children. They met at a day rehabilitation program 15 years ago, and while they still don't live together, they have had a lasting and deep relationship.

Born in the 1920s, Warren was abandoned in a stark institution at age 5 and taken in by a missionary, raised among dozens of children and church members—part of a vibrant extended family. Cory is the oldest of five children—born to young parents whose doctor advised them to abandon her because she would ruin their lives. Instead, they turned to an intense developmental program called patterning, in which dozens of volunteers helped Cory's body learn skills—like walking—that wouldn't otherwise develop on their own. With the love of the people around them, both exceeded everyone's expectations and today live their lives to the fullest.

With testimony from Cory's family and Warren's closest caregivers, Love Limits challenges common misconcieved attitudes towards people with disabilities. It is a moving portrayal of the powerful love between Cory and Warren: two people united in their commitment to each other and to living their lives with dignity and grace.

41 minutes
© 2010
Purchase $248.00 DVD
Order No. QA-567

Reviews
"Love is an amazingly complex emotion and despite many efforts to define it in our contemporary society, it is often times much better portrayed visually. This film succeeds in doing that by showing us the story of two individuals...What is most telling is the footage of their connection when they are filmed together, communicating, being pushed in a wheelchair and spending time together. Our observation confirms a bond of commitment and caring albeit unconventional." Educational Media Reviews Online

3 Stars! Recommended. "...incorporating commentary from Cory's family and Warren's caregivers to augment the footage of their life together, Love Limits offers an interesting portrait of the unique challenges facing the couple and those close to them. Recommended" Video Librarian

Awards & Conference Screenings
Official Selection, 2012 Western Psychological Association Film Festival

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To rent or purchase this film, please visit the Icarus Films website

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