Disposable Humanity
September 30th, 2026
MOVIE: DISPOSABLE HUMANITY
STARRING: CAMERON S. MITCHELL
DIRECTED BY: CAMERON S. MITCHELL
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 95 MINUTES
In 2026, it is still shocking to discover stories about the Holocaust that we don’t know, and to think there are countless others that we may never know. The atrocities committed during World War II can never be forgotten, can never be memorialized enough, and will always remain relevant. Disposable Humanity is a documentary that highlights the atrocities committed against people with disabilities, who were treated as less than human, discarded, and subjected to degrading and inhumane treatment. Director Cameron S. Mitchell brings these stories to light in a documentary that is both educational and poignant, giving attention to a group that has been marginalized both in life and in death.
Structurally, Disposable Humanity brings together researchers, historians, and scholars from Germany, Poland, and across Europe to explain the lesser-known atrocities of the Nazi regime in painstaking detail. The film centers on the Mitchell family, alongside disability-studies scholars who have researched the Nazi Aktion T4 program, which was part of the regime’s systematic campaign of euthanasia and murder against disabled people. Through an overwhelming amount of research and historical evidence, Mitchell shines a light on those who were discarded and disgustingly mistreated simply because of how they were born or who they were.
All of this disturbing information makes one thing painfully clear: disabled people have been mistreated and dehumanized throughout history. The film shows how mental institutions were used as warehouses for people with disabilities rather than places where they could receive compassion and care. Instead of treating these people as human beings deserving of dignity, Hitler and his regime developed an abhorrent program of systematic murder. The Nazi belief that anyone considered “less than” should be disposed of extended beyond disabled people to Jewish people and countless others who did not fit the regime’s twisted vision of what a perfect human being should be.
My only quibbles with Disposable Humanity are that it can lean heavily toward the educational side of documentary filmmaking, and Mitchell rarely changes his narrative approach beyond laying out the facts for the viewer. That can become tedious regardless of the subject matter. Still, Mitchell fills the film with photographs, Super 8 footage, detailed historical documents, and interviews with knowledgeable researchers who are willing to speak for people whose voices were minimized and silenced for far too long.
Disposable Humanity is a highly detailed, well-researched, and necessary documentary. It is another film about the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by Hitler’s regime, but it also gives a voice to people who have long been overlooked. Mitchell’s direction is strong and meticulous, particularly when showing the objects and evidence left behind by those who were murdered and documenting the complete lack of empathy shown toward people deemed less fortunate or less worthy.
It also makes for an excellent double feature with Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. Where that film asks us to look closely at the horrifying reality surrounding Auschwitz, Disposable Humanity asks us to look at another group of victims who were too often treated as if they didn’t matter. It is a documentary that tells us to look, to see those who have always been viewed as less, and to finally acknowledge that no human life is disposable. We all deserve dignity, compassion, and the right to be remembered.
3 ½ STARS
DISPOSABLE HUMANITY IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR DISTRIBUTION.
Written by: Leo Brady
