Author(s)

Sensen Zhang¹, Guili Zhang²

¹School of Art, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China.
²Network and Information Center, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China.

Using Foucault’s theory of “Madness and Civilization” as a framework, this study analyzes the narrative construction of Liu Chunhe, a cerebral palsy patient, in the film Little Me. Through the protagonist’s physical alienation, behavioral transgressions and social gaze, the film reveals that the disabled group is pathologically constructed as the “extraordinary other” in the mainstream discourse system. Simultaneously, it deconstructs the implicit condition under the regulation of “civilization” with the help of grandmother’s level-headed care, the acceptance of the café owner and Ya Ya, and so on. The study reveals the relationship between individual resistance and discrimination. The study reveals the tension between individual resistance and social norms, criticizes the suppression of special groups by the rational order, and proposes a path of inclusive social construction from “sympathy” to “co-existence”, providing a new theoretical perspective for the study of film and television with disabilities.

Madness and Civilization, Disabled Groups, Cinematic Art, Little Me

Zhang, S. and Zhang, G. (2025) Deconstruction of Madness and Reconstruction of Civilization: Narrative Breakout of Marginalized Groups in the Film “Little Me”. Advances in Applied Sociology, 15, 253-263. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2025.154013.