Review of Mission to Lars (2015) by David C — 11 Oct 2013

Mission to Lars is the story of the Spicer children; older sister Kate, middle child Tom and their younger brother William, the hook here is that Tom has Fragile X, a form of autism. Tom like so many with his condition lives in a specialized residence away from his family and in constant care. It has been Tom's dream for many years to meet Lars Ulrich, drummer in the band Metallica. The film charts their attempts to help make their brother's dream come true whilst at the same time forcing them to reassess and reappraise their family connection with a brother they feel they are guilty of neglecting.

The appeal here is quite simple, the story of two siblings arranging for their brother to meet his rock god hero is just the framing device for a story about family relationships. Even the few scenes intended to inform the viewer about the condition are provided through the brother and sister expanding their own understanding of what their brother lives with. It makes for compelling viewing, as it is pure voyeurism, an expose of the Spicer family. Although one finds it hard to believe the entire trip went as well as it did here, there is no doubt either that they have really held back in terms of content either.

This unpolished approach to the difficult family interactions allows for two other factors to creep in and to creep in successfully. The first is that the audience is instantly transported into the role of the frustrated sister; we are not viewing her through the fourth wall we are right in the action with her. This in turn feeds the second, the viewer is also anxiously waiting, and the viewer is also worried that Tom will retreat from the situation or that Metallica will cancel everything.

The film is not without its faults; the brother William is an unsympathetic character and thankfully the editor has kept his interaction from behind the camera to a minimum. There's also an attempt at building a narrative bridge before the crescendo of the concert finale through a montage set to Devendra Banhart's "Cripple Crow" which feels at best tacked on, at worst like something from a different film that was edited in by mistake (and I like Devendra Banhart).

At its core is a film that will make most viewers rethink (even just a little) their perceptions of people with autism and the struggle their families must have, a film that will serve as an eloquent reminder of the true human nature that lies within people with autism. However, its uneven tempo and unpolished nature will perhaps rob it of long term appeal or repeat viewings.