Tell Them You Love Me: Sky documentary about a controversial relationship
“Louis Theroux is not one to shy away from a difficult story,” and his latest film – made by his production company but not featuring him – is about the controversial relationship between a white American academic and an African-American man with severe disabilities, said Daniel Keane in the Evening Standard. Anna Stubblefield met Derrick Johnson in 2009 when his family contacted her, hoping that she’d be able to help Johnson – who had been born with cerebral palsy, and couldn’t speak or walk or feed himself – to communicate. Soon, Stubblefield had him “talking” via a method called “facilitated communication”, in which she would hold his arm as he pointed to letters on a keyboard. Their relationship became physical. She said they were in love – but his family claimed he was incapable of consenting to sex, leading to her being prosecuted for sexual assault. The documentary is strikingly balanced, but it is not for the “faint-hearted”.
The film doesn’t sensationalise the story, said Carol Midgley in The Times. But it does leave you with questions. What did Stubblefield’s children make of the affair? Does she still love Johnson? It’s a “memorable” documentary, but not a very rigorous one. Still, its breadth is remarkable, said Leila Latif in The Guardian. “Beyond consent, disability and race there is space given to reflect upon the nature of language, the ‘white saviour’ complex, the purpose of justice and what constitutes unconditional love.” It’s a “hard watch” to be sure, but “also a vital one”.