Marcus Knight—a good-natured young man with Cerebral Palsy and Autism who is musically inclined and harbours Broadway dreams—wins a scholarship at Saddleback College. However, his joy is short-lived after he unexpectedly comes under fire due to false allegations of inappropriate behaviour. The inappropriate behaviour in question? A fist bump and a request for a selfie. His case opens a can of worms regarding an unjust, even vindictive system and a law drawn up in the 1970s known as Title IX. It has received a polarising response and resulted in dangers such as abuse of power within prestigious institutions.
The documentary “Fist Bump” includes the perspectives of Knight himself and individuals who have a mutual, first-hand understanding of his struggles with fitting in due to his disability. The doc also focuses on the people in Marcus’ corner, including his headstrong mother Aurora Knight, a female classmate, and a classroom aide/chaperone with an in-depth knowledge of autistic students. All stand by him, vouch for his harmless attitude, as well as share anecdotes that are far from the lies spun about him by a nameless and faceless accuser. It also helps his case that video proof exists of Marcus’ friendly routine of exchanging consensual selfies and fist bumps with classmates or loved ones are his means of communication to break the ice.
Looking Beyond a Disability
Marcus’ outspoken mum is obviously protective of her son, as in the past she stood her ground against doctors who acted indifferent to his condition. Being at the receiving end of negligence at the hospital after undergoing premature labour during his birth, the false accusations this documentary highlights aren’t her first rodeo either.  Aurora also views them as a means of ostracising the new undergraduate and is especially proud when Marcus speaks up for himself. She also preserves each of his medals and diplomas, which she considers not just mere academic achievements but proof of Marcus’ resilience in surviving the naysayers who stifled his voice.
Knight’s former drama teacher too shares a similar sentiment and emphasises the need to look beyond his student’s ‘limitations’ sans judgement, and not judge a book by its cover. Brief moments—such as Marcus flinching at a mild swear word uttered by his former high school teacher over a Zoom interview—and a scene early in the documentary that shows him singing along to the car stereo also paint him as a naturally meek and morally upright person. It shows us someone who follows rules and knows right from wrong, as compared to the monster he is made out to be by the institution.
When Laws are Weaponized
Directed by Madeleine Farley, “Fist Bump” is also a window into the double standards prevailing in spaces that are usually considered safe like academic institutions. However, they often prove limiting themselves for youth with special needs, leaving them particularly vulnerable when laws meant to protect are weaponised against them by people who either opportunistic or just plain arrogant. They can thus result in manufactured outrage over even innocuous greetings. Such slanderous accusations also leave the ambitious young Knight at the mercy of bullying from peers. The documentary depicts a subversion in the narrative, as the victim gradually begins to sound like the slanderer, especially once their accusations keep changing in an unbelievably laughable fashion.
The on-campus discrimination also takes its mental toll on Marcus, while the one-sided communications by unprofessional college administration leaves both him and his mother with trust issues (in one instance, a hearing is abruptly cancelled without notice). Later, Aurora points out the irony of the college in using her son’s success story in the field of arts and drama as an image-cleansing exercise rather than tendering an actual apology for the consequences of the incompetence with which Marcus’ case was handled.
A Wake-up Call for Understanding
While “Fist Bump” is occasionally hindered by editing that could have been more taut, it still makes a fair case in depicting the plight and fight of its subject. It is also a wakeup call to ensure more fair trials rather than trials by fire, simultaneously taking a biased system to task.
You can watch the film festival teaser trailer in the window below.Â
*Fist Bump is set to premiere in Los Angeles at the Slamdance Film Festival on Saturday, February 22nd.
