These are a few of the movies that I have seen that really have had an impact on me. Each offers an inside look as to what it is like to be a person with a disability. My wish is to spread the word on these films so others will be more educated on this population.
This first movie I showed to the entire school body at a jr.high in Galveston, Texas. The movie was part of the school district’s first-ever Disability Awareness Day. More about that in another section of the site. First, let me tell you a little about Mary Temple Grandin. She has autism and is one of the first people that shared her personal journey with the neurodevelopmental disorder. She currently is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and an Autism spokesperson. If you would like to learn more about her and see the movie you can do so below.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278469/
In 2017 I decided to check out the Tribeca Film Festival for the first time. I bought a day pass in a rush and really didn’t read the details on the movies included. I found out about midway through the day that I was right where I was supposed to be. The movie shown was Keep the Change. The best way to describe it is as a touching authentic love story about two people on the Autism Spectrum. To my knowledge, this has never been done before on screen. To make things even better there was a Q and A with the director, Rachel Isreal following the showing. The entire cast were all sitting in the front row and couldn’t have been glowing more. As they took to the stage for questions it was obvious that this was their moment and they were rightfully taking it. You see Isreal had chosen and modeled the characters after real people with intellectual disabilities living here in New York City. She had them involved in every step of the process and I have a huge amount of admiration for Isreal bringing this type of romantic comedy to our attention. I have not stopped talking about the film since and I don’t think you will be able to either. ) If you still need more convincing read the article below and then click the link for where to watch. (Please note that the film is NR but if I were to rate it I would say it’s PG-13)
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/keep_the_change_2018
Now for the big hit of 2019. The Peanut Butter Falcon. The adventure begins when Zak, a 24-year-old with Down syndrome decides he is escaping the facility he has been assigned to live in by the state. Debut directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz were curious for feedback from the Down syndrome community so they collaborated with Gigi’s Playhouse Center to get together an invite list for the first screening here in NYC. The audience laughed, cried, and cheered with exaltation throughout this heartwarming film. The Peanut Butter Falcon went on to show in select theaters across the country. You can now watch it at home and celebrate the advocacy these types of movies bring to the national forefront. Click below to learn more about this feel-good movie for the whole family.
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