Interview with Dylan Wood, Writer, Director and producer, for The Walking List

Dylan, a very warm welcome to this WFF in Cannes interview. And first things first, a Happy New Year to you! My name is Isabelle, and I’m happy to e-meet you! Congrats on ranking as Best Film on Disability in the September Edition. Hats off to Jessi Giese, who was nominated as Best Actress in a Short Film in the same September Edition. Would you share your New Year’s resolution?

Thank you so much! I am incredibly honored and grateful that you enjoyed our work so much! Very exciting to know how we rank from such a prestigious festival. Very happy to meet you!

Jessi is such an amazing storyteller, whether that’s as an actress or a writer. I am so happy that she is starting to get the recognition that she completely deserves and has earned. Definitely keep an eye on her and her future work. I have complete confidence that her work is going to be showing up at more and more festivals going forward!

Jessi definitely deserves that recognition, but so does the rest of this cast and crew. They are definitely the most talented group I have had the pleasure of making a movie with. Keep an eye out for all of them!

Getting back to the question you actually asked! I am really bad at New Year’s resolutions, as I think most people are, but I think I can actually keep mine this year. My main resolution is to worry less about the results and focus more on the process. I think there is a natural urge that if a project is successful to try and duplicate it. I don’t want to do that. I want to continue to grow and stretch myself as a writer, director, and actor. I have a few projects lined up already that are completely different from anything I have ever done before. That scares me, but also excites me.

I want to underline the striking inner conflict in your film between being young and fragile when being young is all about being strong and carefree when your body is not responding to your brain. How essential is the disability theme in our Western societies?

Great question! A lot of this film is based on personal experience, something I didn’t quite realize while I was writing or shooting it. The subconscious brain is so powerful and mysterious sometimes.

I was involved in a car crash that paralyzed me at the age of 25. I had just moved from Idaho to Georgia. I was a non-emergent EMT who helped people who were paralyzed get to dialysis and doctors appointments. I played basketball several times a week, worked out pretty often and would often lift patients who were about 500 pounds. Long story short, I was in the prime of my life and was completely independent.

I picked up a shift where I had to be there at about 3 AM and at a red light I was crushed by a semi truck. In one moment, all the strength I had depended on my entire life was gone.

I woke up without the ability to move, speak, eat or drink. The only reason I was breathing was due to a ventilator. At the age of 25, I was completely powerless. After several months of hospitalizations and rehab, I was told that I would never move anything below the neck.

I had worked with people that had disabilities and still, never in my wildest dreams, would I have thought that I could ever become disabled. In my long list of things that could go wrong, bankruptcy, divorce, illness, etc. Disability was never on that list. I don’t think it is on anybody’s list.

We don’t see many disabled people in popular media. If we do, they are typically small characters who have very little to do. I think showing that disability can happen at any time to anybody, just look at Christopher Reeve for some reference, will bring about incredible changes for the entire disabled community. I think there is a huge disconnect that people have with disability. It’s viewed as a community unto itself, when in reality it is an ever-growing community that able-bodied people slip into with minor or major injuries every day. If we can change the narrative and show people that disability can happen to anyone at any time, I believe huge changes would happen, both politically and socially.

Isn’t it mind-boggling to think that, while one in four adults in the U.S. has a disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed only 30 years ago? In 2024, is “rampant ableism” still the norm?

It’s such an interesting question. I feel like every person living with a disability will give you a completely different answer, based off their personal experiences. Some friends of mine would say that rampant ableism is the norm. I don’t think anyone living with a disability would say that ableism is a thing of the past, but there are quite a few who will say that they don’t experience much of it anymore.

I hover somewhere in the middle. I have not experienced anything close to what I would describe as rampant ableism, but I still deal with small acts of ableism fairly often. People often turn to whoever is helping me through the day to ask basic questions, such as, “ How is he doing today?” “ What are his symptoms?”, etc. On a human level, it is very minimizing and discouraging, at times, but I can also understand why people do it.

Facing someone in an unknown circumstance is incredibly daunting! I can completely understand their feelings and actions. I’ve noticed that the people who have spent significant time around anybody with a disability, whether it’s family, friends, or even coworkers, are so much more comfortable talking and interacting with me. It puts me at ease in ways that I didn’t even realize were possible anymore.

For the first year, I was embarrassed about my situation, almost like I had done something wrong. It felt like I had failed at life and was disabled because of my failure. Obviously, that is ridiculous, and I believe that the increased representation of disabled characters will do nothing but help support those already disabled and their family, friends and the community at large.

In French, we say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” One sees that behavior playing out on screen when Abi finds herself in her bedroom and seems to miss a step on the step ladder, but that is because her knee does not support her. One sees everyone darting on her in a split second to prevent her from collapsing on the floor.

Later in the same scene, as they are going through a photo album and reminiscing about their young years, her sister suddenly tears a photo of a young man and Abi smiling at the camera off the page and again lashing at her Bucket list tears it to bits.

Her sister does this only in a desperate attempt to protect her by eradicating her emotions, even though Abi can be in control, given the opportunity to grieve and put the pieces together, given time and solace.

I was really happy with how that scene played out! That is what so much of my disabled life has felt like. Almost like you are treated like a child now, who doesn’t know what they can handle. Incredibly frustrating! But also an impossible position for friends and family.

Disabled people are going to need more help. It is a fact of life. Disabled people are also as intelligent and capable of making decisions as ever. Are you seeing where the difficulty could come in? My caregivers, primarily my mother, make so many decisions for me in a day that an able-bodied person would make themselves. Most of these decisions I am completely fine with having someone else handle, but there are decisions that get made for me that I would rather make myself. My caregivers don’t know what that line is all the time, so it is truly an impossible situation to handle perfectly.

Finding that balance between a disabled person and a caregiver is so delicate for both sides. I feel like there is a ton of grace that needs to be given, as both sides are in a situation they never imagined or asked for. There is a magic phrase that I think needs to be used far more often, “I’m sorry. I was wrong, how can I make it better?” I have found that humility will defuse just about any differences you may have.

When reflecting on disability, the first name that springs to mind, even in France, is Stephen Hawking for his incredible grit despite his poor health.

On disability and surpassing oneself, I came across this quote from Martina Navratilova: “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone.” Does this resonate with you?

That does resonate with me! I am not sure I agree with it anymore, however. After my accident happened I felt as if I could not be the husband my wife needed (now ex-wife), the son my parents needed me to be, the brother my brothers needed me to be, or the friend that all my friends needed me to be. For about three years, I have felt like the only value I add to the world is my films and writing.

I felt like everything else had been irrevocably damaged. I did not feel good enough for my family or friends. I felt like people pitied me and viewed me as a charity case, not the same human being I was before. I think that is a complete fabrication that I made up, because I didn’t feel good enough for anybody or anything. You don’t become less of a human because of an accident that leaves you paralyzed. The experiences you go through, good or bad, can shape you into something stronger and better than you were before.

I believe that disabled people are often made to feel less than others. The ideal American dream does not include a disabled person who struggles just to live a basic life. We are always supposed to achieve more, be better, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Disability does not always let us do that. Sometimes, the best you can do is to give a warm smile to your loved ones as you struggle through another difficult day.

I don’t believe that anybody’s worth, disabled or not, should be judged by their accomplishments. Let’s start judging each other by the love in our hearts and the kindness we show each other.

When her caregiver tells Abi she can still do everything on her bucket list, she takes his comment in the wrong way when it is meant in earnest to save her from her illness and to enjoy being young. She lashes out but quickly finds out that the girl she thought this man was dating has died of cancer. The man she only felt scorn for shows that he is very humane.

That was an important moment for me to include. I think we are so quick to judge each other, especially if somebody has caused us pain in the past. We don’t believe that people can truly change and we limit ourselves dearly by doing this. We allow ourselves the grace to change and become better, but often that is impossible to extend to somebody else.

Abby seeing that Jack has changed and become a better man pushes her forward in a way I don’t think she completely understands. It gives her the courage and confidence to face an impossible situation. I mean, if your old-time rival is now your biggest fan, what can’t you accomplish?

On a related topic, what is your view on mental illness, as concerns about the ‘invisible disability’ have become more acute, perhaps now we know more about the negative impact of COVID on our psyches.

I believe that invisible disabilities can be as serious as a physical disability. I’ve known too many good people who ended their own lives to not take it seriously. I truly think that following the Golden Rule, and treating each other the way you would like to be treated, is the best route in dealing with somebody with either a physical or invisible disability.

I’ve always loved what 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7 has to say about love,

“love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I know that is typically only used to describe marital love, but I believe it is truly the kind of love we should give everyone we
meet. All the grace you give yourself should be easily and readily given to everyone you interact with. You truly never have an idea of what somebody else is struggling with. Leading with love and encouragement is never a mistake.

Short statement describing your vision of the post-COVID cinema, do you think there will be notable changes?

I think the entire industry has changed, in both positive and negative ways. Sticking to the positive, I think that audiences are desperate for an authentic experience. They are craving to hear original voices tell truthful stories in ways that I don’t think they were before.

©2025 Isabelle Rouault-Röhlich