Powerful

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

How do you make a movie about a child with autism while basically dodging all information about subject? Just take a look at 'House of Cards' and you'll see. Here is a movie that tries to softsoap this disease with lame visuals, overcooked dialogue and an ending that left my attention focusing on the digital soundtrack of 'Jurassic Park' which was bleeding through the walls from the theater next door.Kathleen Turner (one of my favorite actresses) plays a woman whose husband has died and whose autistic daughter has retreated into her own private world. She seeks the help of a professional to break through the barrier. So desperate is Turner to help her daughter that she begins construction on a spiral plywood ramp so that the girl can get to the moon (don't ask).The girl who plays Turner's daughter is not autistic and we can clearly see that. Every time there was a scene at the clinic where Tommy Lee Jones works, I kept wishing that the camera to move past him and start focusing on one of those real autistic children behind him.The mystery of autism is a good subject for a drama, just look at Rain Man. But that film was about the relationship between two brothers. Every time this film needs to settle down and uncover the mystery it would come up with some lame scene so that the writer won't have to think. The lamest being the one where the girl takes finger paints and covers her entire body green so that she can't be seen when standing in front of a tree (again . . . don't ask)

One can learn a lot about children and how they respond uniquely to great traumas in their young lives. Being able to understand and deal with grief is something that adults tend to shelter children from in order to protect them. Since some tend to have very strong memory capabilities until they learn from peer pressure that tone down that ability, it should not be surprising that traumatic memories can have significant effects. This movie seems to portrays this situation very well. It also illustrates how little we know about autism, it's causes and effects. Jake figuratively throwing up his hands after seeming to have no idea how to help Sally clearly indicated to me how so-called traditional medicine is really only good for treating the symptoms of disease and most often fails to treat the route causes. The underlying theme seems to me to be about the common 'fear of falling'. We all deal with our own fears in many different ways, with some letting such fears paralyze and traumatize them throughout their lives. While others "get back on the horse" and are able to overcome them. Those who are successful at conquering their fears do so at their own pace, in their own time. Those who don't suffer from them for a lifetime. The reaction to having things out of place seems to be a common situation with autistic persons . Perhaps it is merely a one personal fear that has not been overcome. The movie presents one other issue that we all deal with as adults and parents. Whether or not to trust or believe in the ability of medical professionals to help our precious children and whether or not a parent is a better judge of a young child's condition than the professional. How can someone who has not lived with a person really know what is best for that person in need? What do we do when a professionals' personal or career self-interests seem to interfere with what is best for the sick child? How do you trust your child to the care of an 'outsider'? In these days of movie blockbusters and sensationalized story-telling, it is very rare that a movie can be as timeless and thought provoking as this one while attempting to get the viewer to think about modern issues in non-traditional ways. This is definitely one of the best movies for making the viewer think about a number of issues and the possibilities that non-traditional thinking that sometimes yield.

I voted mainly for the soundtrack... great songs. But it also was a touching movie. i was kind of little of the time and not to hard to impress but it was a great movie.That is all I had to say but it seems i need 10 lines and I don't think I can think enough to produce another 6 lines so...I voted mainly for the soundtrack... great songs. But it also was a touching movie. i was kind of little of the time and not to hard to impress but it was a great movie.That is all I had to say but it seems i need 10 lines and I don't think I can think enough to produce another 6 lines so...

I found the story engrossing and especially enjoyed how the characters put the pieces together as the movie progressed. I also thought parts of the soundtrack were excellent. There is one scene that has stayed with me years after I saw the flick.This is not a documentary. One reason I rented the movie is my clinical experience with autistic children. If you are the kind of person who requires movies even tangentally reflect how it is in the real world then don't watch it. If you think Hollywood will educate the public about autism this movie will upset you.This is a thinking person's movie.