Review of Life, Animated (2016) by V H — 20 Aug 2016

Writer Ron Suskind and his wife Cornelia were the proud parents of two healthy little boys. That is, until their youngest son, Owen, was about 3 years old and started to change. Owen became more and more withdrawn until eventually he lost his ability to speak altogether and was diagnosed with autism.

Young Owen spent hours each day sitting in front of the TV watching Disney movies. One day, he shocked his parents by reciting a line of dialogue from one of the movies. Though the doctors were skeptical that he was doing anything more than parroting back sounds, the Suskinds soon learned that by assuming the roles of Disney characters, they could communicate with their son again.

"Life, Animated" is a documentary about the life of Owen, now a young adult who's going through the same rites of passage as many kids his age. He's about to graduate from school and move into his very first apartment, he's trying to land his first job, and he's facing the end of his first romantic relationship. But despite being all grown up physically, Owen remains obsessed with all things Disney and retains a distinctly childlike worldview.

Owen's reaction to his girlfriend leaving him says it all: "Why is life so full of unfair pain and tragedy?" While part of me was amused by his elevation of his own little breakup to the status of one of life's great tragedies, another part thought "Amen to that, brother". There's something utterly refreshing about someone who makes it to adulthood and still expects life to never suck.

"Life, Animated" mixes current footage with videos from Owen's childhood and animated scenes from a book he wrote and illustrated to help deal with a particularly difficult time in his life. Though it's an uplifting story, it steers clear of implying a happily-ever-after ending, with Owen's older brother, in particular, expressing concern about Owen's future and recognizing that he will eventually become his caretaker.

Above all, this film is educational, though without overtly trying to be. I came away with a much better understanding of autism both from the point of view of someone with the disorder and of such a person's family.

Though Owen's story is truly remarkable, I can't help but wonder what his fate would have been had he not been born to parents who, in addition to being loving, were also rich and well-connected.