Guiding Emily (2023)

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Last year, Guiding Emily premiered on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (which changed its name to Hallmark Mystery this week). Guiding Emily recently aired on the regular Hallmark Channel for the first time. This was one of my top three favorite movies of 2023, but watching it again, I can now say it is my number favorite movie from last year and one of my all-time favorite movies.

Guiding Emily is a fictional story based on a book of the same name, by Barbara Hinske. Emily's (Sarah Drew) life is going well. She's in a solid romantic relationship and she has a stable job. Her life drastically changes when a tragic accident causes her to lose her vision. She is hopeful that the vision loss is temporary, but soon realizes it's long term, possibly permanent. She and those closest to her must learn to adapt to her new life.

Meanwhile, Garth is a guide dog in training. This parallel storyline shows the challenges he and his trainer face, all the while sharing a strong bond. Throughout Garth's training, he has some chance encounters with Emily and is undeniably drawn to her. Garth believes he was meant to be her guide dog. Will they end up together, and if so, how?

While this may sound like a somber movie, it is anything but that. I always wondered why it premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries (which before being renamed to Hallmark Mystery, tended to show drama movies with more serious story lines) and not on the regular Hallmark Channel where it belongs. I'm so glad they fixed that this year. Overall, it is realistic (except maybe for those chance encounters between Garth and Emily, which is unlikely to happen in real life), but it's also light-hearted and fun. Some scenes were emotional, but there were also several moments that made me smile or even laugh out loud.

Part of the light-heartedness is due to the fact that Garth, the dog, narrates his part of the story. This could have been cheesy, but it really wasn't. His narration gives us insight into what he as a guide dog in training might think and feel. Instead of being silly, it adds emotional depth.

Of course, being a Hallmark movie, there is romance involved. However, this isn't cheesy either and it thankfully doesn't really follow the usual tropes. The romance that happened felt natural and realistic. They had great chemistry.

One of the many reasons why I love this movie so much is because of the writing. When you have lines like "You guys need to include me in these conversations," you know that they took great care in what the characters would say. This line is something that Emily says when two people are secretly talking about how best to help her.  This line is so true to real life and for that reason, it really touched me. Disabled individuals want to be included in conversations about them, rightfully so. 

In fact, one of the reasons this movie is so successful at accurately portraying disability is because people who have visual impairments in real life were included. Usually I am not a fan of a non-disabled actor playing someone who is disabled, but in some cases, like in Guiding Emily, it works. The main character did not start out being visually impaired, so it's fine that someone who doesn't have a visual impairment played this role. While Sarah Drew does not have a visual impairment in real life, some of the other actors in the movie do. By the way, Sarah Drew did a phenomenal job playing Emily. In fact, every cast member was strong.

Little details mean a lot in other ways too. In a couple of scenes, there's a wheelchair user who works with Emily. He doesn't have any lines, but the fact that he is shown interacting with others as part of his normal everyday life is important. It shows that disabled individuals are capable of working, just like everyone else.

And this is exactly what Emily's friends and colleagues encourage her to do. They help her when she needs it, but they don't feel sorry for her. They let her know there's no reason why she can't go back to work. 

While entertaining, this movie is also educational. It shows various ways individuals with visual impairments adapt. Some examples are dictating texts and using Braille. We also learn that there is a difference between a service dog and a support dog. The movie demonstrates the importance of these accommodations and topics without being preachy. 

And let's not forget about the parallel storyline with Garth training to be a guide dog. I love how the movie shows the emotional struggle the trainer goes through when they have to let go of the dog they've been training for months. 

On a personal note, I really enjoyed the scenes with adaptive rock climbing. I have done this before, despite my fear of heights. I can tell you it's an amazing feeling to reach the top! My accommodations were different than Emily's. It was interesting to see how it was adapted for her.

If you haven't watched Guiding Emily, I highly recommend it. I'm sometimes reluctant to watch movies with disability representation because oftentimes it isn't done well. However, that was not the case for Guiding Emily. This movie does everything right, and after watching it, I immediately added the book to my TBR list.

Have you watched any movies with disability representation that you would recommend? I'd love to know!