The Oral Surgery Movie Marathon Begins

Although my surgery is a week away, I began to take a crack at the 17 or so DVDs I rented. The first film on the menu was a documentary called, "Autism: The Musical." I must say that it surprised me. I was expecting a whiny borefest, but I was given a heartwrenching, but entertaining tale about special needs children doing extra-special things. What's to like about this film? First, it quashes autism myths, an important thing for any documentary such as this to try to accomplish. Next, the kids are just unbelievable. One child, Wyatt, has an eloquence that could surpass that of most americans, yet his disabilities make him a target at school. He discusses his fears with the people at the Miracle Project (the theater group for autistic children on which the film is centered) and they become part of the titular musical that the kids make themselves. There is also Henry, an energetic blonde boy with asperger's that knows everything there is to know about dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts. Another enjoyable element is to see what having an autistic child does to the parents. The parents of the kids are given comparable screen time to the kids themselves, and it's well deserved. Their stories are interesting, and poignant. It also comes as a total surprise when, 45 minutes into the film, it is casually revealed that Henry's father is famous rock star Stephen Stills. On paper it may sound like a cheap gimmick, but it actual proves to be effective. First, it backs up the startling statistic that starts the film ("in 1980 1 in 10,000 children had autism. now it is 1 in 150"), by providing a famous person as an example. We KNOW who Stephen Stills is. He's not one of the other parents who we've never met before. And like the other parents, it shows how the disabilities of the child affect the parent. I will recommend this film to my dear reader. It was highly inspiring and enthralling. Rent it.

Films Since I Started the Marathon:

"Autism: The Musical," (2007, Tricia Regan) - 8/10