There are a lot of different ways to review this, and with a number of friends with children on the spectrum, I'm curious to get their take on it. (And enjoyed reading reviews from such folks here as well).
As a parent myself, I'd want something....anything...that fed optimism, so this film would be like a vitamin. Generally the notions of "we are getting older, how will our kid(s) survive" hits everyone, but surely more so for those with autism.
Anyways, the film surely moved me. How to communicate with kids can be challenging in all cases, but when they are seemingly incommunicative, it becomes imperative. So the way the film sets up the early transition for Owen into his overwhelmed state, and then finding the Disney connection was exhilarating.
It strangely reminded me of machine learning, the way Owen used a select set of Disney films to communicate heartbreak and fear and bullying. The power of sidekicks was wistfully beautiful. Elements of a detective story in unravelling Owen's thoughts.
The opportunities that the Suskinds had surely are not matched by all families. The scenes at the housing site were fascinating, even if it's a little hard to get past the camera, i.e. our eyes being so intrusive. Making a film out of Owen's sketches, and the speech in France...these are amazing gifts.
Nothing compared to the gift of love.
Mild spoiler : Gilbert Gottfried's best work!
As a parent myself, I'd want something....anything...that fed optimism, so this film would be like a vitamin. Generally the notions of "we are getting older, how will our kid(s) survive" hits everyone, but surely more so for those with autism.
Anyways, the film surely moved me. How to communicate with kids can be challenging in all cases, but when they are seemingly incommunicative, it becomes imperative. So the way the film sets up the early transition for Owen into his overwhelmed state, and then finding the Disney connection was exhilarating.
It strangely reminded me of machine learning, the way Owen used a select set of Disney films to communicate heartbreak and fear and bullying. The power of sidekicks was wistfully beautiful. Elements of a detective story in unravelling Owen's thoughts.
The opportunities that the Suskinds had surely are not matched by all families. The scenes at the housing site were fascinating, even if it's a little hard to get past the camera, i.e. our eyes being so intrusive. Making a film out of Owen's sketches, and the speech in France...these are amazing gifts.
Nothing compared to the gift of love.
Mild spoiler : Gilbert Gottfried's best work!