‘Life, Animated’ – The Power of Story
Life, Animated is a documentary film made by Roger Ross Williams in 2016. This film is a testament to the power of stories and how they can equip us for the challenges of life.
The documentary is the coming of age story of Owen Suskind. At three years of age Owen started to retreat from the world. His language and motor skills started to deteriorate. He was diagnosed with autism, probably to be dependent on others for the rest of his life. His parents were devastated.
His very supportive family, his parents and his older brother, started to notice how positively Owen responded to Disney’s animated movies. They allowed him to access his emotions and gradually to express those emotions in words. We see him overcoming the stress of being bullied at school by drawing Disney scenes and characters. We see him overcoming stressful periods in his life by re-watching movies where he recognizes similar circumstances and emotions. We see him on his first evening in his own apartment deeply missing his mother and then watching ‘Bambi’ and identifying with Bambi when Bambi’s mother is killed. The story helps him see that Bambi got through this tough experience and helps him to understand that so will he.
It is the story, of the journey of a child, unable to communicate or relate, becoming a young man who can live on his own, develop relationships and become a spokesman for people who are autistic. For me the film shows two necessary components to get there: the power of a loving family and access to stories. That is both inspiring and educational!
Rinus, Jan 2020
*image (© 2014 Thomas Bergmann) & trailer posted under fair use of copyright material in recommendation of the film
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Wow. I look forward to exploring this powerful story with friends.
This film sounds life-giving and animating, like its title suggests. I will add this as a resource to the material on story for my students this semester. Thank you for this!
What an uplifting (& heartbreaking) film
The line that stood out to me was his mum responding to questions of the boys ‘contribution’ to society by asking “Who decides what a meaningful life is?”