There were many attractions at the 41N Film Festival this past weekend, but nothing struck me quite as much as the film Life, Animated. The movie is documentary-like in nature, but holds elements unlike any other documentary I had seen before. It tells the story of a boy who loses himself, his personality, to autism at the age of three. He and his family spend years trying to find a way to communicate with him again, when one night a breakthrough occurs. He had found a way to understand the world around him through Disney movies. When they sat down as a family to watch Disney movies, it was like nothing had changed. Their son was unlocked from a speechless box. Because Owen, the main character of this documentary, was able to find a way to comprehend the constantly changing world around him through the never changing movies, he found stability. He found communication. He found himself again. The movie is heart-wrenching with real life traumas and stories and raw feelings. Owen does not do things twice, so absolutely nothing in the movie was scripted. Everything said and done was genuine.
One of the most outstanding parts about this movie is this allusion to Disney sidekicks. Owen felt a strong connection to sidekicks his whole life and a story that he had written was animated and placed as a key point in the film. The art style and music was gorgeous, to say the least, a swirling vortex of colors and Disney characters we all know and love. Parts of the story were narrated by Owen himself and it added another layer of depth to the words he was speaking.
After the showing, Owen’s father, Ron, and the director of the movie, Roger Ross Williams, came on stage for a Q&A session. I had been moved by the film, but chose to stay silent and listen to the questions of the others in the auditorium. The way the film had moved them and what parts they found compelling enough to comment on to the creator of the film himself and the father was fascinating. Many people wanted to know about what happened next. Where is Owen now? His father was proud to say that he is living in a supported independent living home and is doing very well there. Others wanted to know if Owen’s “recovery” was unique. His father was quick to explain that autism is not something a person can recover from. It is a way of being, incredibly unique in itself. He explains that people used to see these concentrations of autistic kids on certain things (movies, etc.) as obsessions. Now, they are seen as a pathway for these people to view and handle the world they live in.
Another question targeted the way Owen’s story Land of the Lost Sidekicks was portrayed. His father and the director both said that the way it was done was checked over with Owen and Owen had said that it was almost exactly the way he saw it in his head. The way the sidekicks are portrayed is done purposely because in Owen’s mind they are more vibrant than in the original movies.
Possibly the most fundamental message that was passed on that night was in Owen’s belief that we are all sidekicks at our best. We help others find and achieve their destinies. The decision to be a hero is one we make every morning.
