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May 27, 2017Curiouskind rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A dreamy cinematic composition by filmmaker Roger Ross Williams that effortlessly weaves in and out of a little boy's world, and later as an adult, through animated pencil sketches, various animated Disney films, and reality; be prepared when you watch this documentary and story unfold. This film shines the light on Owen, rightly so, who is a high-functioning autistic person: It's a fascinating story. But for me, it was all of their individual stories and how they are struggling as a family to find a way through these challenging times and uncharted waters, and to plan ahead in the best way they know how. It's about the fate of Ron and Cornelia's (Owen's parents) legacy and the urgency and weight upon Walt (Owen's older brother) and his parents, together, to care for Owen and assure his well-being. Owen's parents' decision to encourage Owen to be as independent as possible and invest into his development as much as they can bear because it seems that they want to soften the burden for Walt in their eventual absence, and ultimate demise. There's a scene where Walt opens up about his thoughts of his future that kind of destroyed me: 'My mom and dad are getting older every year. 20 years from now, it'll be just, me. And I'll be ready; I've been getting ready my whole life, but it can be kind of overwhelming to think about the idea of taking care of them and taking care of Owen, and how that's going to look. Yeah, that can keep you up at night thinking about it. For some reason, it's the birthday [celebrations] is when it rips out of me. Most of the time, I just forget about it and try not to think about it, because it will come at some point. I'm the only family he's got, and I'm going to have to do what I have to do to make sure he's OK.' There are certain parts of this disclosure that's worth repeating, 'I've been getting ready my whole life.' Just imagine what that means and what kind of toll that would have on a little boy, as Owen's older brother, and all the expectations that arrived with it on that particular, fateful day all the way through adulthood and onto the present. At this point, I felt like I wanted to dive into a pool, hold my breath for as long as I can under water, suspended. What can you say to something like that? It takes a certain strength of character, courage, just a lot of things under the surface of this story, Owen's story -- a truly remarkable family. There are lighter, attention-focusing moments as well, fortunately, like the conversation about the 'birds and the bees' between the two brothers that I believe sheds some insight into their relationship with each other; so, yeah, toss in a kind of unconventional coming-of-age story as well.