Disfluency is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Anna Baumgarten, based on her 2018 short film of the same name. The film premiered in competition at the Austin Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature. The film subsequently received over two dozen awards and nominations on the festival circuit. The cast includes Libe Barer, Ariela Barer, Chelsea Alden, Dylan Arnold, Travis Tope, and Molly Hagan.
On January 10, 2025, nearly four years after its premiere, Disfluency received a limited theatrical release in the United States and Canada through Buffalo 8 Productions before becoming available to stream via Tubi. The film was met with critical acclaim, and received five nominations from the Indiana Film Journalists Association, including Best Picture, Best Director for Baumgarten, Best Actress for Barer, and Best Supporting Actress for Alden.
Plot Jane (Libe Barer), a college senior studying speech language pathology fails her final course under unclear circumstances and returns to her family’s lake house in Michigan. Withdrawn and frequently apologetic, she struggles to readjust to life at home with her parents and her sister, Lacey (Ariela Barer), while concealing the cause of her academic collapse. Over the summer, Jane reconnect with childhood friends, including her longtime crush Jordan (Dylan Arnold), but remains emotionally distant as she experiences fragmented memories related to a traumatic incident.
Jane reconnects with Amber (Chelsea Alden), a former childhood friend who has recently become a single mother. Suspecting that Amber’s young son is deaf, Jane begins teaching her American Sign Language. Through this process Jane becomes increasingly aware of her own difficulties in communicating. As the summer progresses, Jane’s anxiety from suppressed memories intensifies, revealing she experienced a sexual assault that led her to withdraw from school. Initially uncertain of how to define or confront the incident, she grapples with feelings of guilt, shame, and a fear of not being believed.
Encouraged by her growing bond with Amber, and with her family’s support, Jane gradually finds the means to articulate her experience. In a pivotal moment, she finally discloses the assault using sign language, marking a breakthrough in her ability to communicate what happened. By summer’s end, Jane beings to reclaim a sense of agency. Though her recovery remains ongoing, she resolves to move forward—returning to college and confronting her trauma with greater clarity and confidence.
Cast Libe Barer as Jane Ariela Barer as Lacey Chelsea Alden as Amber Dylan Arnold as Jordan Travis Tope as Dylan Molly Hagan as Professor Parker Kimiko Singer as Kennedy Ricky Wayne as Louis Diana DeLaCruz as Dorothy Wayne David Parker as Officer Fitzpatrick Garrett Edell as Brendon Michael Alan Herman as Theo
Production Development Disfluency was initially made as a 2018 short film, written by Baumgarten and directed by Laura Holliday. The short film premiered at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. Disfluency was subsequently selected for Jim Cummings' Short to Feature Lab, where Baumgarten developed a feature-length script. The story picks up after the events of the short, as Jane spends the summer at her family's lake house, trying to find a new way to live with her trauma, a process aided by learning American Sign Language. Both Barer and Arnold, who were featured in the original short film, returend for the feature-length project.
Filming Disfluency was primarily filmed on location in the Metro Detroit area of Michigan in the summer of 2019, specifically in Commerce Township, Livonia, Royal Oak, and Walled Lake, utilizing local spots like the Creamy Freeze and Penny Lane Market, with the director wanting to capture the feeling of her own Michigan roots. The film's production crew was composed primarily of University of Michigan alumni.
Release Disfluency premiered in competition at the Austin Film Festival on October 23, 2021, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature. The film continued to play the festival circuit for the next year, but failed to find distribution. Nearly four years later, the film's distribution rights were acquired by Buffalo 8 Productions for a limited theatrical release in the United States and Canada beginning January 10, 2025, before becoming available to stream January 24, 2025.
Reception Critical response Disfluency received mostly positive reviews, with many critics lauding Barer's performance as well as Baumgarten's potential as a filmmaker. The film currently holds a score of 86% "Fresh" on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com awarded the film 2.5/4 stars, noting
Adrienne Hunter in a review for The Austin Chronicle observed
In a similar vein, Manuel Betancourt in a review for Variety noted
Accolades YearAssociation CategoryNomineeResult Ref. 2021 Austin Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Heartland International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Calgary International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Picture Anna Baumgarten Indiana Film Journalists Association Breakthrough of the Year Anna Baumgarten Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Director Anna Baumgarten Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Actress Libe Barer Indiana Film Journalists Association Best Supporting Actress Chelsea Alden 2022 Portland Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Oxford Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Cleveland International Film Festival American Independents Competition Anna Baumgarten Florida Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Capital City Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Newport Beach Film Festival Best Screenplay Anna Baumgarten Newport Beach Film Festival Best Actress Libe Barer Lake County Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Eastern Oregon Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten DeadCENTER Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Naples International Film Festival Programmers Choice Award Anna Baumgarten New Hampshire Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Anna Baumgarten Ouray International Film Festival Best Feature Anna Baumgarten Ouray International Film Festival Audience Choice Award Anna Baumgarten 2023 Film Club's The Lost Weekend Best Film Anna Baumgarten Film Club's The Lost Weekend Best Actress Libe Barer Film Club's The Lost Weekend Best Director Anna Baumgarten
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