I'm in the mental health field and worked with autistic kids. Most viewers of this movie would probably either be healthcare people or families greatly impacted by the spectrum child.
I watched this movie right up to the 1 hrs 28 min and 53 second mark - the bus scene. I didn't stop watching because it was uncomfortable. It certainly was, but that's not it. I stopped because it jumped into the basic pool. The writer did a great job at depicting what life is like for families dealing with someone high on the spectrum. No earthquakes. No monsters. No abduction. No asteroid. No murder (at least I think so).
Then in the last twenty minutes, it was like they got scared or the Hollywood conditioning kicked in. They wedged in a few antagonists that didn't fit. The other people on the bus suddenly became apathetic and out of touch zombies just watching with mouths open.
The kid boarded the bus right after mom and dad had a disagreement about him riding alone even though he did it the recent past. Dad wanted to the son to ride the bus to get groceries for his sister's return home from Fall semester. Mom, for some forced reason, wasn't having it. Dad, usually level headed, was now unreasonable in order to create this horrendous, "I told you so," moment.
This wasn't necessary. I was hoping the movie would wind down and being proud it illuminated the life someone with autism faces and life a family has to deal with day in and day out. It's hard. Parents and siblings can harbor anger putting their lives on hold. The angst of going to a grocery store with him can be exhausting. They can talk about the guilt of wanting to put a child in a group home. The guilt of wondering what they did wrong biologically to give birth to an autistic child. Scared about his life after they die. Guilt about their awesome daughter being so amazing and wondering what they didn't provide her by being so involved with her brother. That would have been authentic, difficult, but typical conversations for people.
These moments should have been the true gut wrenching scenes.
Instead, it created a crowded bus and some thugs. Shame on you. At least the writers didn't do the predictable, tired, over-played, Manhattan backdrop and parents with million dollar careers. They weren't that affected.
Well acted by all. Mostly well written.
I watched this movie right up to the 1 hrs 28 min and 53 second mark - the bus scene. I didn't stop watching because it was uncomfortable. It certainly was, but that's not it. I stopped because it jumped into the basic pool. The writer did a great job at depicting what life is like for families dealing with someone high on the spectrum. No earthquakes. No monsters. No abduction. No asteroid. No murder (at least I think so).
Then in the last twenty minutes, it was like they got scared or the Hollywood conditioning kicked in. They wedged in a few antagonists that didn't fit. The other people on the bus suddenly became apathetic and out of touch zombies just watching with mouths open.
The kid boarded the bus right after mom and dad had a disagreement about him riding alone even though he did it the recent past. Dad wanted to the son to ride the bus to get groceries for his sister's return home from Fall semester. Mom, for some forced reason, wasn't having it. Dad, usually level headed, was now unreasonable in order to create this horrendous, "I told you so," moment.
This wasn't necessary. I was hoping the movie would wind down and being proud it illuminated the life someone with autism faces and life a family has to deal with day in and day out. It's hard. Parents and siblings can harbor anger putting their lives on hold. The angst of going to a grocery store with him can be exhausting. They can talk about the guilt of wanting to put a child in a group home. The guilt of wondering what they did wrong biologically to give birth to an autistic child. Scared about his life after they die. Guilt about their awesome daughter being so amazing and wondering what they didn't provide her by being so involved with her brother. That would have been authentic, difficult, but typical conversations for people.
These moments should have been the true gut wrenching scenes.
Instead, it created a crowded bus and some thugs. Shame on you. At least the writers didn't do the predictable, tired, over-played, Manhattan backdrop and parents with million dollar careers. They weren't that affected.
Well acted by all. Mostly well written.