Danny creates an account on Rubi “for research,” not admitting to himself that somewhere deep inside, he might be hoping to find a girlfriend. He crops a photo to show him only from the shoulders up, concealing the scooter, posts his profile, and, he admits to Jason, he swipes on a few. He gets one response from a warm-hearted photographer named Madi (a heartfelt performance from Jessica Parker Kennedy). After discussing whether and how to share his disability, he takes a deep breath and mentions it in a response to Madi. He’s heartened when she seems undaunted and agrees to meet.
The core elements of the classic romantic story are heightened here because Danny’s disability is a physical manifestation of the dance of intimacy. It becomes very literal when Madi first invites him to join Jason and the two friends modeling for him in a ‘shroom-enhanced Palm Springs skinny dip that leads to Danny posing in the nude.
Kurtzman, who never acted or saw a movie set before Stanger invited him to collaborate, has a thoughtful screen presence. The Danny of the story is confident in his profession but often sensitive and unsure with people. Kurtzman, the performer, is able to show us all of those layers. Danny’s friends think they are very fond of him and very tuned in, but even Jason, who lifts, bathes, and encourages Danny (the friendship), never really sees Danny’s loneliness (the bro-ness) and the gulf he feels between himself and the abled world.
Stanger and Kurtzman were wise to make Madi a photographer. Her passion and her profession are to literally see what others do not. She’s almost a Psyche figure holding up a candle to see Cupid. She sees the beauty in a body most people would consider misshapen. She also sees Danny as a man, not a permanent friend zone. And as he begins to see himself through her eyes, his spirit expands. At first, he only wears black. But when he and Madi have a sweet moment, Danny uses his skill to help her, showing her that part of himself, he is wearing the color of life and renewal: green. The inversion of the sounds of their two names is also a subtle suggestion of their connection.