One of the most frustrating things about living with ADHD is that it can be surprisingly difficult to explain. It's for common for people to flippantly self-diagnose themselves with ADHD just because they get distracted by, well, living in a world where everyone is overwhelmed by constant communications and distractions. But having ADHD is more than just a chronic case of checking your phone while you're half-paying attention to the television, or getting bored while reading (I actually read quite a lot, thank you).
Glasgow-based comedienne and filmmaker Kate Hammer has found a great way to articulate the complications of ADHD life in her short film, Bear—in which her condition manifests as a, well, literal bear. It's big and fuzzy and cuddly and adorable and occasionally comes in handy but also causes lots and lots of problems. Especially when she has to keep a constant eye on it, distracting her from other, more pressing matters. This is made even more frustrating by the fact that, well, other people can definitely tell that there's a Bear in the room with them. It may be annoying, or entertaining, or both, but they definitely know it's there. Except no one will actually talk about the Bear, because that's not polite, and also there are HR rules about that or something. If no one talks about the Bear, then you can't really ask them for help in dealing with the Bear, can you? And if you try to explain the Bear situation, things also get weird. So what are you supposed to do about the Bear?
Bear is a short, fun film. It's silly on the surface, and certainly made me laugh out loud more than once. It also made me bawl, because it cut so close to home for me. It's well worth ten minutes of your time, whether you have ADHD, or know someone who does. Or even if you're just curious, or enjoy funny bear costumes.
Here's the official blurb:
Jude, a neurodivergent creative, tries her best to fit into a typical world, but has to manage the sentient, giant teddy bear that follows her everywhere she goes. Bear's attempts at helping often leave everything even more of a mess, causing Jude to be the janitor of her own life. An already tense job interview is made even worse by the fact they don't even want to mention the bear in the room. From hyperfocusing, to losing all sense of focus and everything in between, Jude shows the highs and lows of living with an uncontrollable Bear at all times.
