From Rainman & Molly to Beautiful Son, Recovered & The Horseboy Movie

In my previous article I wrote about several old and new books.  This month I want to focus on several films that have redefined for our culture the nature of disability in general and autism in particular. I want to show how autism has affected the lives of every individual and family it has touched and the culture as a whole.  In the initial essay for this series I, of course, wrote about the impact of several films dating back to RAIN MAN (staring Dustin Hoffman 1987) and MOLLY (staring Elizabeth Shue as a young woman with autism 1988).  I pointed to the fact that “perhaps no single film has had a more dramatic impact than RAIN MAN to expand the awareness of autism in the consciousness of the general public.”  The film also changed forever the world of Kim Peek, whose remarkable story inspired the film.  Once almost hidden away, this savant, since the film’s release, has spoken around the world to over 2 million people.  I also mentioned several other important films about people with autism: WITH EYES WIDE OPEN (art, Richard Wawro,1983), JOURNEY OF THE HEART (music, Tony DeBlois,1987), MOZART AND THE WHALE (numbers savant, Jerry Newport,1995), AUTISM IS A WORLD (college student, Sue Rubin, 2004), and MIRACLE RUN (education, young twin brothers and a single mom, 2005).

MUSIC WITHIN, released in 2007, captures the life and work of Richard Pimental.  This biographical narrative depicts the struggle of one man to change the thinking and action of a whole country with regard to disability.  After sustaining severe hearing loss and persistent ringing in his ears as a result of a war injury, Richard returns to a society whose rules and regulations provided little assistance and often major resistance to the needs of the disabled.  With the help and encouragement of other disabled veterans and a brilliant and witty new friend with CP, Richard sets about the task of convincing a nation to legally change its approach.  His efforts, not without great personal sacrifice, resulted in the passage of ADA Act (Americans With Disabilities Act) and changed forever a culture of neglect into a culture of opportunity.  While the film may have slipped beneath the radar screen in the nation’s theaters, it is a film that chronicles what one person with vision and persistence can accomplish in changing the face of a nation.

Also in 2007, a personal and powerful documentary made its presence known through the work of Don and Julianne King as BEAUTIFUL SON. Don, the primary cinematographer of underwater scenes of CAST AWAY staring Tom Hanks, and Julianne, his wife, have captured the doubts, the life changing reality, and the heart wrenching mystery of the arrival of autism in their family.  They document the sudden advent of autism in their family’s life when their third son, Beau, loses speech and visual focus between two and three years of age.  With disarming candor BEAUTIFUL SON lets the viewer move inside their family’s struggle to find answers and treatments for their beautiful son.  Their journey in search of answers takes them from their lovely home in Hawaii to John’s Hopkins Medical facility to California and the DAN Conferences of the Autism Research Institute.  Their relentless search via the Internet also has provided valuable information for other parents whose lives have been radically altered by the sudden appearance of autism.  Further information may be found at www.beautifulson.com.

An even newer documentary film, RECOVERED: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back (Center for Autism & Related Disorders, CARD, 2008) has appeared recently and adds further documented evidence of the possibility through early intervention of recovery.  The early parts of the film were shot in the 1990’s and trace the lives of four young (2 to 4 year old) children.  The film includes interviews with the parents at the beginning and some 10 years later as these remarkable young adults are currently successfully involved in high school and have plans for careers beyond college.  They demonstrate with convincing power the possibility of recovery.  I was privileged to attend a screening earlier this year and to talk with two of the young people whose stories are presented in the film.  The young man, a senior in high school, is also a talented musician and an eloquent speaker.  The young woman, also present at the screening, is also a senior in high school and is a typical student involved in many school and community activities.  See www.recoveredautism.com.

Lastly, a film that is in its final stage of completion adds an entirely new dimension to the portrayal of autism and a possible approach to treatment and healing.  I became acquainted with the cinematographer, Michel Scott through a mutual friend.  I became fascinated with the project and have closely followed the development of THE HORSEBOY MOVIE.  This approach brings together horses and shamans in a bold and imaginative strategy for healing.  Yes, I said “horses” (which have proved very successful across a wide range of disability) and “shamans” (as far as I know this is a first).  A family from central Texas “discovered” the therapeutic effect of a horse named Betsy on the language and behavior of a four-year-old boy with autism.  The father’s work for land rights for indigenous peoples (Africa and Australia) brought the boy in contact with shamans.  A similar result occurred as with Betsy.  The father questioned, “Where in the world do horses and shamans come together?”  The answer that came was, “Mongolia.” The result was a journey in the summer of 2007 across Mongolia on horseback to visit five shamanic villages.  Over 165 hours of footage are currently being edited.  A trailer may be viewed at www.horseboymovie.com.  This innovative effort gives further evidence of the diverse approaches available to bring healing and recovery for individuals and families whose lives have been so radically altered by the arrival of autism in their midst.

I conclude this essay with an outline of a film course that I have developed (all the films are available on DVD) to present the remarkable stories of individuals throughout the wide spectrum of humanity.  The films and resources that follow the list featuring people with autism are printed in bold type.

The course continues to grow almost daily as many more books and films are being produced almost daily to add to this rich treasure trove of stories of human achievement in the face of often incredible adversity.