Autism The Musical :: Education by Design Store

Editorial Review
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 breakthroughs this spellbinding film offers a full-throated celebration of kids living with an 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. "Moving dramatic therapeutic and unburdened by reliance on talking heads" (Variety) this film will change the way you look at autism.System Requirements:Running Time: 93 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/BIOGRAPHY UPC: 767685109472 Manufacturer No: NNVG109471
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Customer Reviews

A very special film.

2008-04-03
"Autism: the Musical" wasn't necessarily something groundbreakingly new, nor was it the most complete view of autism (which can be a great deal worse than what you see in the film), but it was a truly inspired and beautiful vision of hope and understanding. The children in the film are wonderful and the adults cover the whole range of what people can be. If this doesn't deeply touch and affect you, then there is something quite wrong. It's a valuable and important film for everyone to see and I applaud its production.

AWESOME DOCUMENTARY

2008-04-03
As the dad of a very special 10 year Autistic son, I want to say BRAVO to the people who put this work together, it does a great job of showing the reality of the "wide spectrum" of Autism. I am ordering several copies of this DVD to share with friends and family.

Awsome

2008-04-01
I really liked the way this documentary was put together. It really shows the wide spectrum of autism and the effects autism has on the people around it.

I Love this movie

2008-06-27
I saw this movie in at a theatre long before it came out on HBO because I don't take cable. I laughed, I cried, I was completely taken by this movie. I left deeply moved and went right home after seeing it and emailed the makers of the movie to let me know when it was available for sale. They emailed me and I bought it. It still makes me laugh, cry and moves me beyond belief. I love this movie and highly recommend it if you know or love someone who has autism, or is the parent of a person with autism, works with people with autism or just want to know a little more about how it effects any of these people.

fantastic

2008-06-01
If you're looking for a musical to watch for entertainment, this probably isn't what you're looking for. This is a wonderful documentary where I learned more about the life of those living with autism: both the child and his/her family. The woman who is putting on the musical with this wonderful group of autistic children does an amazing service to the kids, their families, and all who watch this film.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

2008-05-30
I just saw this today and was very moved by. As someone with Asperger's Syndrome/High-functioning autism it was nice to see my fellow aspies and auties portrayed in such a loving light. I highly recommend this to everyone.

Inspiring! You will love these kids.

2008-05-26
As a mom of a child with autism, I was eager to see this film after it was released. I have since seen it 4 times. The first viewing was at an autism conference in a room with a few hundred parents and family members of individuals with autism. To say it was breathtaking is an understatement. We were all on the edges of our seats, laughed, cried, nodded our heads and glanced at our fellow viewers throughout the film with looks that said, "Uh huh. Me too. Us too. I know how that feels. We've been there." I can only say "thank you" to all those involved with this sweet, sad, sensitive and realistic view of the autism experience. Bravo to those who made this happen. And to the brave and gorgeous children featured, my your paths be paved with magic and peace.

Wow. This is wicked good.

2008-05-24
I am the mother of an an almost 5 year old autistic boy, and I had been itching to see Autism: The Musical. Now that I have, I am so touched and amazed by what went into that film. I liked the fact that she did not hide the difficulties these children can have, but she still showed that they are so much more than just that (a fact that can easily be forgotten when the child has a meltdown at the grocery store). I also liked that the director unflinchingly showed just how angry and frustrated that we parents can become, and that that anger and frustration has its roots in the fact that we are fiercely protective of ours and we fear what happens if we are not here. At the same time, those kids were amazing and fantastic and she showed it. Adam is a little ladies man in the making, Lexi has a lovely singing voice, Henry and Wyatt are just absolute stars, and maybe the reason Neal does not talk is simply because the rest of us don't speak angel yet. Everyone should watch this.