Autism, that mysterious condition that seems to afflict many children these days, is a scary diagnosis. Scary, mostly because so much about the condition and its causes is still unknown, even by the medical establishment. So it's the parents of these kids that are at the forefront of trying to figure out how to help lead these children out of their social isolation and bring public attention to this puzzling modern-day epidemic.
Director, Tricia Regan's film Autism: The Musical takes us on a very emotional adventure about five of these kids, all diagnosed with varying degrees of this condition--(from left) Neal, Adam, Lexi, Henry, and Wyatt. (Henry and Wyatt will remind you, in various ways, of the unforgettable Billy of Jennifer Venditti's wonderful nonfiction piece, Billy the Kid). Each family's story is quite moving and, fortunately, the parents have been documenting their children ever since toddler stage.
Elaine Hall is the founder of The Miracle Project and the mother of twelve-year-old Neal, a boy she adopted from a Russian orphanage when he was only two years old. Like the other mothers and fathers, Hall knew very quickly that something was terribly wrong with her beautiful son. As these parents band together to encourage their children to participate in Hall's Miracle Project, a story of sheer love and determination marks these kids' journeys toward trying to reach out to the larger world through song and dance and personal expression. They get to act out what tortures them the most about their existence.
Regan and her crew get incredibly intimate access and all the stuff they capture is not pretty. With brutal honesty and a good dose of sadness, the parents describe what life is like trying to raise an autistic child--their concerns about the future, the struggle to keep their marriages together, the financial strains, their determination to fight for their children's well-being, and the significant sacrifices that go along with that. All five kids are wonderful subjects to watch and the film clips along right up to the finale when they perform in front of their loved ones, showing the world that, in the words of Adam's mom, Rosanne, ". . . it's not just enough for you to be doing better. Your whole tribe has to do better, or else you really can't do that much better." Banding together and supporting one another, both the children and the parents do become a close-knit tribe (replete with bickering and temper tantrums) and, in so doing, show the world that through the creative process, together they discover a key to help unlock the, oftentimes unreachable, inner worlds of their offspring in new and innovative ways. Just takes tons of love, that's it.
After playing in dozens of festivals around the world, winning several kudos and prizes along the way, and premiering on HBO this past March, Regan's film releases on DVD tomorrow courtesy of Docurama. You can order copies online of this incredibly moving and important film by clicking here.
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Autism behaviors include lack of proper response to social and environmental stimulations.
Posted by: Autism Miracle | May 14, 2008 at 06:15 AM