Movie Review | 'A Mother’s Courage' Confronting Autism

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September 23, 2010

Movie Review | 'A Mother’s Courage'

Confronting Autism

By ANDY WEBSTER

Amid growing awareness of Asperger’s syndrome and the spectrum of autism in

general, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson’s riveting documentary “A Mother’s Courage:

Talking Back to Autism” leaps into the mysteries surrounding the disorder,

tracing the efforts of Margret Dagmar sdottir, a mother in Iceland, to seek

treatment for her severely autistic son, Keli. While the title is accurate, the

film is less a portrait of her than an inquiry into the origins and nature of

autism and therapies for it.

Narrated by Kate Winslet, whose voice fluidly substitutes for Ms. sdottir’s,

“Courage” offers poignant accounts from parents confronting the syndrome,

diagnosed to some degree, according to the film, in 1 out of 150 children a

year, with four boys affected to every girl. One expert interviewed is Temple

Grandin, the autistic author and animal scientist (and subject of an HBO film),

who offers a plain-spoken eloquence.

Among the insights here is that the disorder reflects not an inability to

perceive the world, but a sensitivity to it — through heightened hearing, say —

often resulting in the faulty processing of simultaneous information.

Repetitious gestures help to soothe overstimulated nerves.

At HALO (Helping Autism Through Learning and Outreach), a nonprofit organization

in Austin, Tex., Ms. sdottir meets with Soma Mukhopadhyay, creator of the

Rapid Prompting Method, an educational technique. Ms. Mukhopadhyay is unflagging

with Keli and manages a semblance of a breakthrough.

There is no pat resolution here, but the sight of a mother finally able to

connect with her child across autism’s chasm is more than stirring.

A MOTHER’S COURAGE

Talking Back to Autism

Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Directed by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson; narrated by Kate Winslet; director of

photography, Jon Karl Helgason; edited by Thuridur Einarsdottir; music by Sigur

Ros and Bjork; produced by Margret Dagmar sdottir; released by First Run

Features. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. Running

time: 1 hour 43 minutes. This film is not rated.