Quid Pro Quo is a 2008 American drama film, written and directed by Carlos Brooks, and starring Nick Stahl and Vera Farmiga. The film is about a semi-paralyzed radio reporter who investigates a story that uncovers an odd subculture leading to a disturbing self-realization. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2008, and was released in the United States on June 13, 2008. Plot Isaac Knott is a successful radio talk show host on a New York City public radio outlet. He lost the use of his legs at the age of eight in an automobile accident that also claimed the lives of his parents. He is a wheelchair user. One day, Isaac learns about a man who showed up at a local hospital and demanded to have his legs amputated. The man was part of a secret subculture of able-bodied people who want to be paraplegics. They use wheelchairs whenever possible, and they try to deaden their legs through artificial means. Isaac becomes fascinated by these strange people, and begins studying the phenomenon for a news piece on his radio show. Through his research, Isaac meets Fiona, a sexy but mysterious blonde who collects and restores Chinese art. Fiona also owns a wheelchair she doesn't really need. Increasingly attracted to her, Isaac tries to learn all he can about her role in the fake-paraplegic underground. Fiona, however, does not give away her secrets for free. Soon, Isaac discovers that the exchange of information and trust goes deeper the longer they know one another. Cast Production On his inspiration for the film, director Carlos Brooks commented: "I was interested in taking this story into the psychological realm, where no matter what our physical condition, we all have the same psychological potentials or limitations that we struggle with. Isaac puts on these shoes which allow him to walk again. That send him on a quest where, in the end, he discovers that he has really been investigating himself." Through doing online research, Brooks said he discovered "there were people out there for whom getting help would be the exact opposite of what I thought getting help would be", leading to the idea of the Wannabes in the film. Brooks said the story was driven by the question of "why 'help' for an able-bodied person would be to have a disability, whereas 'help' to people with disabilities