The Reason I Jump review – a sensitive autistic eye on the world

Wendy Ide
·1 min read

A straight adaptation of The Reason I Jump, by the 13-year-old non-verbal autistic boy Naoki Higashida, would never have done his groundbreaking 2007 book justice. Higashida used his writing to answer the questions that the neurotypical world might have about the autistic experience. Jerry Rothwell’s approach to bringing the book to the screen is sensitive and creative, a sometimes expressionistic, sensually eloquent riff on the source material that draws in the voices of other autistic young people and their carers, and which continues the conversation that Higashida’s work initiated.

Related: The Reason I Jump: behind a groundbreaking film on autism

The voices of neurodivergent people, the film explains, might not be articulated in spoken language: in India, Amrit finds her means of expression through drawing; in Arlington, Virginia, best friends Emma Budway and Ben McGann communicate through alphabet boards. Meanwhile, Rothwell uses the language of cinema – macro lens closeups, distortion, off-kilter framing and an evocative blend of sound design and score – to convey the autistic experience of the world.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Crochet strikes out 11 to help the White Sox beat the Guardians 6-3

    Garrett Crochet struck out 11 in six shutout innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Friday night for their third consecutive victory. Taking advantage of a costly error on second baseman Gabriel Arias, Chicago improved to 8-6 since its ugly 3-22 start. Korey Lee and Paul DeJong hit back-to-back homers in the seventh, and Andrew Vaughn went deep in the eighth for his first of the season.

  • Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl to play in Game 2 against Canucks

    VANCOUVER — Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl will play in Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night. The 28-year-old German forward will start the game on a line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. Draisaitl said earlier in the day that he would be a "game time decision" after appearing to labour late in Edmonton's dramatic 5-4 loss to the Canucks Wednesday. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game the star forward was dealing with "cramping and equipment issues." Drais

  • Americans spending $33.5 billion for Mother's Day this year

    Mother's Day is around the corner and ABC15 is taking a look at how much Americans spend on the moms in our lives.

  • Family mourns teen killed in motorcycle crash

    Family and friends are mourning a teen killed in a motorcycle crash in Vista on Thursday.

  • Patrick Corbin gets 1st win of season, Nationals beat Red Sox 5-1

    BOSTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin allowed one run in five innings for his first victory of the season, Trey Lipscomb had a two-run single and the Washington Nationals beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Friday night. Corbin (1-3) allowed seven hits and a walk and had four strikeouts in lowering his ERA from 6.45 to 5.91. He allowed runners to reach in four of five innings, helped in the first when right fielder Victor Robles threw out a runner at home for the final out. Robles and Eddie Rosario each had t

  • Northern Lights forecast: When and where to see the solar storm in UK

    The most powerful solar storm in almost 20 years hit Earth on Friday night, with the Northern Lights visible across much of the UK.

  • US energy secretary to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE next week, officials say

    The visit will run from Tuesday through Thursday, with Granholm visiting the UAE first, one of the officials said. "Specifically, for the Department of Energy, it will move forward work both countries are doing on climate cooperation and to diversify the energy economy." Granholm will participate in a meeting of the Net-Zero Producers Forum, a group of countries representing 40% of global oil and gas production, including the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the sources said.

  • BREAKING: Four universities in Halifax release memorandum to school administrators: divest and disclose funding ties to Israel

    On Friday, May 10, student groups from four Halifax universities–NSCAD, Dal, King’s and SMU–formed a shared group online, called Students for the Liberation of Palestine. In a post, they call on their universities “to immediately disclose and divest from any investments that sustain settler-colonial projects, including the Zionist state known as Israel.” A post shared by Students for the Liberation of Palestine - Kjipuktuk/Halifax (@students4liberatedpalestinehfx) As of this article’s publicatio

  • Clarke Schmidt helps pitch Yankees past Rays while matching longest career outing

    TAMPA, Fla. — Clarke Schmidt has made it known that he wants to go deeper into games. He did exactly that on Friday, blanking the Rays for 6 2/3 innings at Tropicana Field in a 2-0 Yankees win. The series-opening outing matched the longest of Schmidt’s career and set a new standard for the 28-year-old this season. Coincidentally, Schmidt’s only other 6 2/3-inning performance came in Tampa last ...

  • ‘Stunning’ Northern Lights spotted across the UK

    The Aurora Borealis has been spotted in Whitley Bay on the north east coast, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Wokingham in Berkshire.

  • Sean Burroughs, Gold Medalist and Former MLB First-Round Pick, Died Before Heading to Coach Son's Little League Game

    The former MLB player died of cardiac arrest on Thursday, his mother said

  • Three women rescue neighbor from potential murder

    Three women at a salon save their neighbor from two crazed attackers and help police arrest them.

  • What to know about northern lights in California

    Parts of the country, including Northern California, could see the Northern Lights on Friday because of a severe solar storm.

  • Toddler dies in first US hot car death of 2024. Is there technology that can help save kids?

    After a 3-year-old becomes the first hot car death of 2024, tensions grow over what technology could have saved her.

  • When the Panthers needed it most, the power play came through in Game 3 win vs Boston

    The Panthers scored four power-play goals to build a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and take a 2-1 series lead on the Bruins.

  • UPDATE 1-US energy secretary to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE next week, officials say

    U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week to work on "climate co-operation" and other issues, two Biden administration officials told Reuters on Friday. The visit will run from Tuesday through Thursday, with Granholm visiting the UAE first, one of the officials said. "Specifically, for the Department of Energy, it will move forward work both countries are doing on climate cooperation and to diversify the energy economy."

  • Somalia wants to terminate the UN political mission assisting peace efforts in the country

    Somalia is asking the United Nations to terminate its political mission in the country, which has been assisting the government to bring peace and stability in the face of attacks by the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. In a letter to the Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres obtained Friday by The Associated Press, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said the decision followed “a thorough consideration of our strategic priorities.” The current mandate of the mission, known as UNSOM, expires Oct. 31 and Fiqi asked for “the swift conclusion of the necessary procedures for the termination of the mission by the end of the mandate.”

  • 15 Best Places in Maryland For A Couple To Live On Only Social Security

    This article takes a look at the 15 best places in Maryland for a couple to live on only Social Security. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis on the future of Social Security in the US, you may go to 5 Best Places in Maryland for a Couple to Live on Only Social […]

  • A cyberattack forces a big US health system to divert ambulances and take records offline

    TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A cyberattack on the Ascension health system operating in 19 states across the U.S. forced some of its 140 hospitals to divert ambulances, caused patients to postpone medical tests and blocked online access to patient records. An Ascension spokesperson said it detected “unusual activity” Wednesday on its computer network systems. Officials refused to say whether the non-profit Catholic health system, based in St. Louis, was the victim of a ransomware attack or whether it had

  • Top Plays vs. New York Knicks

    Top Plays vs. New York Knicks, 05/10/2024