Autism: The Musical
by Tricia Regan
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DVD details
Actor: Elaine Hall, Kristen Stills, Rosanne Katon, Stephen StillsDirector: Tricia Regan
Brand: New Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-13
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: DOCURAMA
Product features:
- AUTISM: THE MUSICAL follows the extraordinary acting coach Elaine Hall, five children with autism, and their parents as they heroically mount a full-length original stage production. Through trial and error, tears and laughter, these incredible families learn to communicate their feelings in song and performance, finding solace and joy in the act of creating. A veritable feast of astounding bre
DVD Reviews of Autism: The Musical
DVD Review: Informative, Empathetic, Tearful, Hopeful, Worrisome, Joyful, Honest: A Must-Watch for Everyone!
Summary: 5 Stars
Filmed in 2005-2006, this documentary documents the work of The Miracle Project in its first year. The goal was to bring children on the Autism Spectrum together to prepare for a stage production, a musical performance. The participants would learn, grow, and have positive experiences through the months of preparing for the show, the process was educational and a therapy of sorts, with the actual performance being the culmination of their work.
The creator of The Miracle Project is Elaine Hall, a mother of a boy with Autism. The show opens with her telling her story of her marriage and hopes to be a mother, of her infertility struggle and their dream of parenting was fulfilled when they adopted a toddler from a Russian orphanage. Only after coming home and experiencing numerous problems, was the boy finally diagnosed with Autism. After trying many therapies she credits Stanley Greenspan with giving her the idea to go into the child's world in order to connect with them and to draw them out and to be a part of the rest of the world. Her son responded well to alternative therapies with actors and dancers who were able to connect to her son more than the mainstream therapists did. She had this idea and she did create and run a structured program, a nonprofit organization called The Miracle Project, that would invite children on the Autism Spectrum and their typically-developing siblings perform a stage production together.
The film focuses on the entire process from conception to planning, rehearsing, and culminating with seeing parts of the final production. There is a large cast of children in the musical but this film focuses on the lives of five children who are at different areas of the Autism Spectrum. We meet the parents of the featured children and hear their stories from birth through noticing something was wrong, how they were diagnosed, some of the therapies they tried and of the child's current strengths and weaknesses. We see how the child appears on the outside and to us as strangers and we hear from the parents what the children are `really like'. We learn what types of education they are getting and of some struggles with the educational system. We learn also that some marriages were strained and how some of the couples separated or divorced and as a nice balance, see Elaine Hall begin dating a new man which we find out at the end, culminates in marriage. Other examples of how Autism changed the parent's lives is one mother suffered badly with depression and another gave up an acting and modeling career to dedicate her time to full-time mothering. How Autism affects Autism affects the entire family, even sometimes extended family, was clearly shown. The dedication of the parents to find the best care and education for their children is clearly seen. Different methods of education are being used by the children with varying degrees of satisfaction and progress. We also hear the parent's concerns about what their children will be like as adults and what their lives might be like as adults. The parents speak with brutal honesty from the heart.
I feel the film was a good mix of optimism and feeling happy for the children's growth and development that occurred as a direct result of their participation in the musical while also showing the negative side: the challenges and struggles of the children themselves as well as their family's problems. I shed both tears of joy and tears of pity for the children and the families as I watched it. I wanted to reach out and hug the children and praise them, as well as give their parents encouragement and kudos for their hard work.
Some of the best parts were the interviews with the children where they explain what life is like for them and what bothers them and what makes them happy. Discussions of the problems of and why children with Autism choose to retreat into their own world and bullying issues at school touched me deeply. Bullying is an issue for one child and bullying is one of the bigger topics discussed as a challenge to chidlren's socialization and as a problem in public school. When the least verbal child is shown how to use a device to type his thoughts out, I was surprised (based on his outside appearance and actions) how eloquent he was and what he had to say.
As of today people are still debating the exact cause of Autism or if it is a combination of many things. This film doesn't concentrate on that topic. This film doesn't discuss all the different therapies and how to treat Autism. Instead the film gives just enough background information on the families to learn some things about their journey. It is clear that all the parents are working hard to find the best care and services for their child. Some things these children and their parents say may help parents of children on the Autism Spectrum, inspiring them to action, help sustain their dedication, or at least that they are not alone.
I feel this movie may help other people understand Autism more and may raise the concern about what our society needs to be thinking about and doing about Autism. This Autism problem doesn't seem to be going away, there is still no easy or miracle cures yet. We need to think about things such as getting a correct diagnosis and not giving misdiagnoses, about getting an early diagnosis, about right and best therapies and services at the earliest age possible, about better options in the public education system and lastly, how our society can help adults with Autism survive and thrive if they are unable to fully care for themselves.
I felt the movie was very well balanced between the general information and challenges that Autism presents, with the hopeful and uplifting parts and seeing things that elicit a smile, and the story of the musical production itself. For me this was first and foremost about Autism and the real people living with it, and secondarily about the musical and The Miracle Project.
This documentary was filmed in 2005-2006 and was released in 2007. It has won multiple awards including two Emmy's in 2008. It aired on HBO in 2008 and was released on DVD on May 13, 2008.
Check your public library to see if they have a copy in circulation. If not, consider suggesting your library purchase a copy for their holdings. Most libraries have a special fund set aside to purchase media requested by its citizens. If you have HBO check their schedule for airtimes. Or consider purchasing a copy. Currently, Amazon.com sells it at a discount. It should go without saying that this belongs in the lending libraries of all Autism support groups.
In some of my reviews I mention issues for parents who are considering having their children consume the media I'm reviewing. My note to parents who are considering having their children watch this, (as I did with my own children) is: this film contains a few uses of the profanity word f--. It also discusses one parent who formerly was a Playboy centerfold and shows two of the photos from the magazine, one a backlit but darkened body silhouette that clearly indicated she was nude and another where she was scantily clad in a tasteful yet erotic presentation. This film has a rating of "not rated". After viewing this once I decided to watch it with my children as they are struggling to accept and tolerate the different behaviors of their cousin. Many topics are serious such as mentioning an affair, marital separation and divorce, and clinical depression. One parent mentions the option of killing herself and then says she hopes her child dies before she does (because she worries of who will be caring for her in adulthood). If you are considering showing this to your children I suggest you view it first and make your own choice. I don't believe this movie was ever intended for young children to watch but I felt in our family's case that it had some good things that I wanted my children to see and then we discussed it.
Description of Autism: The Musical
Autism: The Musical follows the extraordinary and innovative acting coach Elaine Hall, five autistic children, and their parents as they improbably, heroically mount a full-length original stage production. Through trial and error, tears and laughter, these incredible families learn to communicate their feelings in song and performance, finding solace and joy in the act of creating.A veritable feast of astounding breakthroughs and heartbreaking hardship, this spellbinding film offers a full-throated celebration of kids living with this increasingly prevalent disorder. Director Tricia Regan vividly captures the individual personalities and problems of each child, from precocious Henry who talks a mile-a-minute about dinosaurs to Neal, a sensitive and articulate boy who nonetheless struggles to speak at all. The parents, too, are fascinating studies in unconditional love, especially Elaine, the mastermind behind the musical and mother of Neal.
A consciousness-raising and empathetic portrait of children and their families living with autism, Autism: The Musical celebrates the spark of humanity in each of us. Called 'Moving, dramatic, therapeutic and unburdened by reliance on talking heads'; (Variety), this film will change the way you look at autism.
Stills from Autism: The Musical (Click for larger image)
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It's hard to imagine an unlikelier feel-good documentary than the uplifting Autism: The Musical. Directed for HBO by Tricia Regan, but truly the brainchild of the vision--and sheer will--of Elaine Hall, the film is both unflinching in its portrayal of autism, and triumphant in the ways it shows connections among the film's subjects. For those dealing with autism--and as the diagnosis grows more common, that would be nearly everyone--this film is enlightening, engaging, and reaffirming.The film chronicles the first theater arts endeavor of the L.A.-based Miracle Project, the creation of Hall ("Coach E"), a playwright and the single mother of Neal, a nearly speechless autistic boy. Through networking, Hall has met a group of parents of children with an enormous range of autistic symptoms and decides to try a workshop in which the children will, in a matter of months, be cohesive enough to perform in a stage production. The film follows Hall from the initial (and skeptical) meetings of the parents, and introduces the several children followed throughout the rehearsal period. Part of the disarming strength of the film is that it changes its perspective on showing the children's personalities. Viewers first meet 14-year-old Lexi when she's singing a musically complex Joni Mitchell song, in a clear, absolutely lovely soprano, in what appears to be a regular singing lesson. Only later do we learn that Lexi, diagnosed with autism as a toddler, has a hard time originating her own speech--though hearing her sing, the viewer would never have guessed. (Her parents still struggle with Lexi's condition, with her mother alternating between frustration and despair, and her father calmly saying, "It's not up to us to judge the quality of her life.") Other kids with behavioral issues or communication challenges are among the cast members, and the early scenes show a barely-controlled chaos that clearly mirrors the daily lives of the parents. The toll of dealing with their children is shown, as marriages break up and friendships are strained. Yet love blossoms in the most unlikely places, as Hall shows midway through the film. By the triumphant finale, the viewer is as invested in the children's lives as the parents, and the performances, while perhaps not what one would have expected at the beginning, present nothing short of a true "Bravo!" moment. As the kids sing, "Take a chance--get to know the real me." --A.T. Hurley
Special message from Tricia Regan:
"I work with dangerous materials. When handled correctly, a camera records the truth. When infused with a powerful belief, the results of months of editing can yield a film that slices through the layers of distraction and strikes you right at your very core.
It took forever to find a title for this movie. Autism: The Musical is not an ?issue? film. Watching this film, you are not going to learn all about the causes and treatments for autism. No experts are going to show up and describe to you in detail all of the various manifestations of autism. You are simply going to experience autism as the characters do: as their primary obstacle in life, and their primary obstacle in putting on an original musical.
By characters, I mean people. This movie is about people who are very real, and very raw, but also very funny and very entertaining. Autism can be devastating, let?s make no bones about that, but it is also a fact of life. And this particular group of people, parents and children alike, have taken on this challenge with courage, hard work, hope, sometimes denial and sometimes acceptance, but most importantly, they have not lost their sense of humor about it all.
So I wanted a title that wasn?t sacrosanct, that could let you know that it?s as okay to laugh and have a good time as it is to cry. Because my goal from the start has been to allow you to see these kids as whole people. And to give you firsthand experience of the dizzying, fascinating, sometimes terrifying and usually mystifying array of autism?s manifestations.
I believe in the inherent value of every living being, and their inalienable right to be respected for everything that they are. There is an entire generation of kids whose neurological systems have been altered by autism. Their challenges make it difficult for them to participate in the culture we have created. Our challenge, as a community, is to find room in our hearts, in our schools, in our neighborhoods, and in our workplaces for these unique individuals. This film, which many have called a love story, brings home exactly why we should. So gather up a few hankies, and be prepared to laugh ? but I must give you fair warning ? this film will change the way you think, and not just about autism."
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