Hello there, welcome to Spring and the final term of the academic year. The days are shorter but the weather is hotter (well some of the time). Throughout the month of April, the College’s theme has been Disabilities & Autism, and coincidentally it also happens to be the theme of this months Film Club Blog! As usual, we have four films to look at, of which there will be two focusing on Disabilities and two on Autism. By definition a disability is any condition that makes more difficult for a person to do certain activities. They can be present from birth or developed over one’s lifetime, they can also be: physical, intellectual, mental and many other forms. Autism itself is an intellectual disability which affects millions around the world, especially children and symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe. The films I will encourage you to watch in this blog showcase different disabilities and autism disorders for the world to see and are excellent learning tools for the conditions.
The first disability on showcase is blindness in biographical music drama, Ray (2004). Directed by Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman), Ray focuses on the life of the very famous Rhythm & Blues musician Ray Charles, portrayed beautifully by Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained, Baby Driver). Its additional stars include: Terence Howard (Iron Man), Kerry Washington (Fantastic Four, The Last King of Scotland), Regina King (Jerry Maguire, Miss Congeniality 2) and Harry Lennix (Batman v Superman).
Ray Charles Robinson is raised by his mother Aretha in Florida in poverty, his younger brother George having accidently drowned and died in their mother’s washbasin before the events of the film. He learns to play piano at an early age, however begins to lose his vision and by age seven is completely blind. Aretha does her best to teach how to cope and then sends him to a school for the deaf and blind. In 1946, Ray joins a white country band and wears sunglasses to hide his damaged eyes (discovering his iconic look in the process). 2 years later he joins a nightclub band, but the owner takes advantage of him and his blindness, leaving Ray to pursue and sign his own record deal. Things take a turn however, as shortly before he is discovered by Atlantic Records and records his first hit, “Mess Around”, he is introduced and becomes addicted to Heroin.
While touring in Houston, Ray meets and falls in love with Della Bea (Washington) whom he later marries and has a child with. Though his addiction begins to cause a fair amount of friction between the two. The rest of the movie chronicles his battle with addiction and the toll it takes on his family and career. Despite addiction being one of the main plot points, Ray’s blindness is still at the centre of the plot, being one of the causes of his depression (which in turn leads to his addiction) and key influencer throughout his life.
Ray received mostly positive reviews, with praise especially for Foxx’s performance, earning him the lead actor award in all five major award shows (Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild and Critic’s Choice), becoming only the second actor to manage such a feat. Roger Ebert commented, “The movie would be worth seeing simply for the sound of the music and the sight of Jamie Foxx performing it.” This powerful story of music maestro is available for loan now only on DVD in the Library. See an early performance by Ray in the film by clicking the link below:
The second disability I am covering is ALS/MND (Motor Neuron Disease), which affects many people across the world and like blindness, has no cure. One of the films that best showcases it is the biographical romantic drama on Stephen Hawking’s life, The Theory of Everything (2014). Directed by James Marsh (King of Thieves), it was adapted from the 2007 memoir Travelling to Infinity: MY Life with Stephen by his ex-wife Jane. It details her relationship with him, his diagnosis with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), and his subsequent successes in the field of physics. Eddie Redmayne (Fantastic Beasts franchise, The Danish Girl) and Felicity Jones (Rogue One, On the Basis of Sex) as Stephen & Jane respectively, with a strong supporting turns from: David Thewlis (Harry Potter, The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas), Charlie Cox (Spiderman: No Way Home) and Emily Watson (Gosford Park, War Horse).
The story begins with Stephen studying astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, while there he meets literature student Jane Wilde and the two begin a relationship. Although bright, there remains concern for Stephen’s lack of thesis subject, however after attending a lecture of black holes with his professor Dennis Sciama (Thewlis), he finds his topic: Black holes and their part in the creation of the universe). Yet soon after he begins work on his thesis he suffers a major setback; his muscles begin failing and his coordination in his body decreases. He is later diagnosed with ALS/MND (It is known as ALS in the U.S. and MND in the UK, and leads to progressive loss of neurons that control voluntary muscles in the body), and learns there is no cure and given no more than 2 years to live. He will also eventually lose the ability to move, swallow and then breathe, though his intelligence and thoughts will remain intact.
Discovering this Stephen becomes somewhat of a recluse, focusing mainly on finishing his thesis but Jane stands by him intent on staying with him even when his condition inevitably worsens. They decide to marry and then have their first child, a son named Robert. Stephen subsequently presents his thesis and becomes a world-renowned physicist as well as a father for the second time to daughter Lucy. Jane however struggles with holding back her own studies while caring for both her children & her husband, that is until she meets fellow choir enthusiast Jonathan (Cox). As Jonathan becomes close to the family, everything starts to change, whereas Stephen a battles on and lives much longer then the mere 2 years that were predicted.
A tale of mental adversity over a physical illness, The Theory of Everything showcases a truly inspirational struggle of a man who beat the odds. Outliving most MND sufferers by a many a century and still maintaining a career and status despite his disability. Though it also portrays how hard MND can be on those around the person affected, caring for and supporting them. While criticized slightly for including a few historical in inaccuracies (it took some liberties with the absolute truth), it was received fairly positively and made significant noise at numerous award shows. Eddie Redmayne was nominated for numerous awards for his portrayal, and even won Best Actor at both the Oscars and Golden Globes. Lou Lumenick of The New York Post called it, “tremendously moving and inspirational.” You can view this tearjerker now on both DVD & e-stream thanks to the Library. Watch the moment Stephen learns of his diagnosis with MND in the powerful clip below:
Now me on to the first of two entries focusing on Autism, the road comedy-drama Rain Man (1988). Directed by Barry Levinson (Good Morning, Vietnam; Sleepers), it stars a young Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Knight and Day) and the esteemed Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer, Hook) as estranged brothers Charlie and Raymond Babbitt, one of whom has severe autism and the other is on intent on using it within him schemes. Charlie is a collectables dealer, looking to import four Lamborghinis into Los Angeles (L.A.) for resale. However, the buyers are impatient and Charlie (who had taken out a loan to buy them) has encountered problems at the port to do with insurance on the cars. Before he can conclude his dealings, he receives a phone call informing him his estranged father Sandford has passed away, so he and his girlfriend Susanna drive to Cincinnati to settle the estate. He is dismayed to learn he has only inherited some Rosebushes and a car he & his father had often fought over, the remainder of the funds $3 million estate going to an unnamed trustee, which Charlie later learns is a local mental institution.
This institution houses his elder brother Raymond, who has severe autism and savant syndrome (which means his disability enables him to have mental abilities far in excess of the common individual). Raymond adheres to strict routines and conveys little emotion but has superb recall and is a maths genius. Intrigued by this Charlie removes Raymond from the facility and into a hotel for the night, intent on using him to get money to pay back his loan. He holds Raymond for ransom, asking his doctor at the facility for the rest of the estate money to give Raymond back, but alienates Susanna due to his behaviour. Raymond refuses to fly back to LA with Charlie, so they drive but Raymond’s routine proves hard to navigate and disrupts the journey. Charlie soon discovers Raymond’s mathematic abilities and decides to use them to win money, seeing Ray as merely a something to help him. However, as their journey continues Charlie learns he knows more about Raymond than he thought and begins to seem him as less of a tool and more of as a brother.
A critical and commercial success, Rain Man won four Oscars (including the coveted Best Picture and Best Actor for Hoffman). A film about that focuses on how Autism was miss understood back then and the effects it had on the family, this touching drama had a profound affect on society in the US. In fact, the release coincided with a tenfold increase in funding for medical research into and diagnoses of autism. The movie also significantly increased the awareness and understanding of autism among the public. This eye-opener is available to loan on DVD now in the Library. View Charlie and Raymond’s first meeting by clicking the link below:
Finally, we come to our second entry focusing on Autism, the small British production After Thomas (2006). A TV movie broadcast on TV, it was based the real-life story of autistic Scottish child Dale Gardner and his dog Henry. The film however focuses on the fictional Kyle Graham and his dog Thomas. It stars Keeley Hawes (High Rise, Misbehaviour), Ben Miles (V for Vendetta) and Asa Butterfield (Ender’s Game, Hugo).
Kyle is a severely autistic child, with limited communication skills and who has terrible meltdowns when agitated. His parents (Hawes and Miles) struggle to help him, and while his mother Nicola believes his symptoms can become less severe as he ages, his father Rob is less optimistic and desires to send him off to a specialist boarding school so he can focus on his relationship with his wife without Kyle to deal with. Nicola resolves to try common autism therapies first, when she comes across a story of a child whose condition improves with the use of therapy dog. She promptly buys a puppy for Kyle, whom he names Thomas. Slowly but surely Thomas helps Kyle express emotion and gain interpersonal relationships, however more trials are to follow…
After Thomas was incredibly well received by the general public and the medical community alike. It is still seen as one of the best portrayals of autism in children and its effects on those around them, there has ever been on screen. It’s effect on society in the UK was very similar to that of Rain Man in the US. Dr. Joyce Almeida noted its potential as a teaching tool on the subject of autism and the spectrum of disorders, for which it has been used all across the country. This informative and touching feature is available on DVD from the Library.
Disabilities and Autism, two things that many know little about. These four movies cover only a couple of the many types of disabilities or autism spectrum disorders that can be found across the world, but what they do convey about their subjects is important and it is truthful. So, go and watch them now, and you get both enjoyment and education at the same time. Disabilities and Autism are not something to be feared, even with either of them you can live a long, happy and successful life and these stories are but a few that prove it.
Not sure how to access e-stream? Then simply click on the link below…
Bradford College Planet Estream.
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