The Kings Speech Review
Happy October! How’s everyone doing with completing their fall bucket lists? I’ve finally found the ultimate pumpkin pancake mix that I’ve been hunting down and have thoroughly enjoyed cozying up to my fall scented candles. I’ve also been binge watching some great tv shows and movies. One of the movies on my watch list was The Kings Speech. Even though it isn’t exactly a get-you-in-the-mood-for-Halloween type of movie, it does bring back those *eerily* familiar feelings of being *scared* to stutter. (Did I bridge the gap between Halloween movies and stuttering? Lol close enough!). I’ve wanted to re-watch this movie and write an updated review on it because my feelings about stuttering have changed quite a lot since it first came out. So, I present to you, The Kings Speech Review by movie critic Ariel Renee!
This is the second film review I’ve written on this blog. The first one I wrote, When I Stutter Film Review, is about stuttering in the 21st century. The Kings Speech, if you haven’t already seen it, is about King George VI having a stutter in the 20th century. I know that some people who stutter dislike the film because it portrays stuttering as a problem that needs to be fixed. And while this is true, I wouldn’t hate on the film because in the 20th century, that was the attitude about stuttering; it was this embarrassing defect that needed to be fixed. The Kings Speech is supposed to be about King George VI’s story in that specific time period, and that’s it.
Here are three takeaways from the film I want to discuss:
- Importance of client-therapist bond
- Feeling shameful about your stutter & being afraid of people knowing you go to speech therapy
- Fear that stuttering holds you back from achieving your career goals
Related: 2018 Speech Reflections
Client – Therapist Bond
The first takeaway from my review of The Kings Speech is the heartwarming client-therapist bond that King George VI and his therapist Lionel have. After King George VI warms up to Lionel and his unique approach to stuttering (or stammering as they say in England), you can see the connection they build and how that leads to a trusting relationship. I find this to be such a critical message because in my type of therapy, ARTS, building an emotional bond with your therapist is so important. Both parties have to be honest in order to successfully work together. The client must feel comfortable enough to be open about their struggles with speech, cognitive and behavioral, so the therapist can fully address everything in the treatment plan. This can only happen when trust is built. The clinician builds trust with the client by being vulnerable and honest in return, as Lionel was with King George VI. There’s a great piece of scientific research on the ISAD online conference that shows how a therapeutic client-therapist relationship affects the outcome of therapy. Make sure to check it out!
Related: My Speech Therapy: ARTS
Feeling Shameful and Afraid
I totally related to King George VI feeling ashamed to tell people he went to speech therapy. Towards the end, he becomes comfortable enough where he can introduce Lionel to people as his speech therapist, but in the beginning, he wants it to be kept a secret. When I first started speech therapy in elementary school, I was petrified of having other kids find out I went to therapy. Even though it was obvious to most people that I stuttered, I was still afraid to share I went to speech therapy for fear of getting made fun of. Sure, everyone has their quirks, but when it feels like you’re the only one who’s struggling with something, it’s a lot harder to share that insecurity with others.
Even as an adult, it can be hard to open up. There’s lots of people who are uncomfortable being vulnerable about their stutters, and that’s okay. I’ve heard some pretty wild stories about people going to extreme lengths to hide that they go to speech therapy. The best part is that these people reflect on their stories with a grin and chuckle because they’re now so comfortable with their stutter!
Stuttering Holds You Back
The last thing I wanted to address is King George VI feeling like he won’t be a good king because of his stammer. Although my career aspirations aren’t exactly the same as becoming the King of England, the fear is still the same. Making public speeches, meeting new people, making lots of conversation, “sounding” a particular way when you are at work, etc. are all very common fears PWS have when it comes to their careers. There’s plenty of statistics out there that show that people who stutter feel held back in their career because of their stutter. And that people who stutter choose jobs that don’t require a lot communication efforts. While disheartening, statistics like these motivate me to reach my goal of changing stuttering stereotypes. I want the statistics of PWS feeling held back to be ZERO. Like all good movies, The Kings Speech has a classic sappy ending and, *spoiler alert*, he realizes he can be a good king even with a stammer. D’awww!
To Summarize
All in all, The Kings Speech is a great movie that shows a lot of the hard parts about stuttering. It’s important to remember that this movie isn’t supposed to be a reformative, stuttering positivity type of film. It was made to show the hardships of King George VI’s stammering in the 20th century and the then-normal attitudes about stuttering and types of speech therapy. If you’re interested in a more modern take on stuttering and speech therapy, I highly recommend watching When I Stutter. It’s really interesting comparing the two films and seeing the evolution of stuttering and approaches to therapy.
I hope you liked reading this post! What did you all think of The Kings Speech? Leave a comment with your thoughts! And as always, thank you for reading!
