Review of Temple Grandin (2010) by Bonnie S — 16 Mar 2012

Temple Grandin is a true story of a woman who was diagnosed with Autism in 1950, when not much was known on the subject. Grandin (played wonderfully by Claire Danes), is not your typical person.

As the movie displays with wonderful, beautiful, artistic style, Grandin sees life different from you and I. Grandin uses her photographic memory to solve lifeâ(TM)s everyday problems. She sees the world in pictures. To explain how she does this is difficult, but the movie does it exceptionally well.

Although, due to her Autism, Grandin has severe problems relating to people and socializing. She does not like to be touched, and eats a diet consisting only of Jello and yogurt. She also has many other problems, sliding glass doors frighten her. She is a tomboy, and her peers torment her for her odd behavior and being different.

Yet, despite all this, Grandin does impossible feats using her superb memory and visualization skills. The movie takes her through childhood, to boarding school, and then to college.

Her mother, Eustacia, played by Julia Ormond, is told early on by doctors that Temple must be institutionalized due to her illness.

Eustacia takes this as a challenge. Temple, who was four at the time, could not yet speak. So Eustacia used flash cards to teach her. And she taught her manors, and shaped her into a wonderful human being, despite all the long odds. If it was not for her, Temple Grandin would not become one of Timeâ(TM)s 100 most influential people of the world.

Ormond does a terrific job in her role as the steadfast and loving mother. And how Claire Danes morphs herself into a mere replica of Temple Grandin is beyond me.

When I was a journalist, I wrote many stories of local Autistic children and their families. I saw mothers in tears when they explained to me how hard it is to deal with. For all the special people like Temple Grandin, there are thousands (or more) of people with much more severe diagnosis.

But what Temple did for the field is simply mind-boggling amazing. When the best doctors of their time canâ(TM)t do much, and here comes Temple Grandin, with Autism herself, and she blows the door wide open. Coming up with effective treatments to calm people with Autism. And giving the disease a greater understanding from a first-hand perspective.

But that is not all her great mind was able to accomplish. Watch the movie, and you will see how special she truly is. The story telling is perfect and well-paced. The artistic direction is beautiful. The acting is superb. Much like Temple Grandin herself, this movie is nothing short of amazing.