Wretches & Jabberers (2011)
In 'Wretches & Jabberers and Stories from the Road', two men with autism embark on a global quest to change prevailing attitudes about disability and intelligence. With limited speech, Tracy Thresher, 42, and Larry Bissonnette, 52, both faced lives of mute isolation in mental institutions or adult disability centers. When they learned as adults to communicate by typing, their lives changed dramatically. Their world tour message is that the same possibility exists for others like themselves. At each stop, they dissect public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful challenge to reconsider competency and the future. Along the way, they reunite with old friends from the USA, expand the isolated world of a talented young painter and make new allies in their cause.
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If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
I will say the director did an amazing job with this mockumentary. I rated it as a Documentary though. It showcases two adults with autism as they travel the world finding other that use "Facilitated Communication" or FC or Rapid Prompting or whatever new name people have come up with so they can continue to sell this technique. I will say again as far as a movie goes. Great! Very moving, I cried a few times while watching it. I think it highlights some very important things that need to be dealt with in the adult autism community. Unfortunately touting this as saying that these guys and girls can talk is just a complete lie. There have been numerous studies since the 90's that have shown FC to be completely lead by the facilitators. It's very easy to fact check this movie. I will say Naoki actually seems to be independent, but again it's incredibly hard to know because of how they cut the footage. He might just be a child in need of some sensory regulation, but functions on a much higher level than the others. Also if you notice in all the footage his mother is not touching him at all as he is typing. They also make it a point to show him writing when completing homework, but again we don't know what level his homework is at. Anyhow as I said, if you want to cry a little and understand some of the serious issues facing adults with autism like: funding, adult care, where they live, quality of life without someone to help them. Great watch. Do Not get suckered into them selling FC. The American Psychology Association doesn't accept it as a mode for communication, nor does American Speech–Language–Hearing Association.
This was a good documentary style type of movie about two men with autism who travel the world to show others that lack of verbal communication does not mean lack of intelligence.The two men with autism (Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher) communicate primarily via their communication devices. They travel to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland to encourage others with autism to share their ideas and thoughts. It was moving to see them want to communicate but struggle to do so. It is encouraging to see them help others realize that they have important ideas to share even though they may not be able to speak well (or at all) verbally.I recommend seeing this movie, though it is in very limited release, so those wishing to view it may have to wait for it to be released on DVD.