16.06.22
Events
The Reason I Jump (2020) / Country: United States, United Kingdom / Director: Jerry Rothwell / Duration: 82 min / Language: English / Subtitles: English, Albanian / Entrance: FREE
This film is shown in collaboration between Kino ARMATA and DokuFest.
Based on the book by Naoki Higashida, a 13-year-old nonspeaking autistic boy, this immersive film explores the experiences of non-speaking autistic people around the world, sharing how those on the non verbal autism spectrum process their environmental data which is different for each of the people affected.
Director Jerry Rothwell uses narrated passages from the book to explain the inner lives of those living with the disorder, while clever audio-visuals attempt to convey the sensory world of severe autism. Rothwell also respectfully follows the everyday lives of five non-verbal autistic people, his film moving from Broadstairs to Virginia via India and Sierra Leone, showing how neurodiversity takes on different forms in various social contexts. It all adds up to a moving and accomplished film that both inspires and educates, and ably demonstrates how individuals and families could benefit from more considered support and political policy.
Sensitively made, thought-provoking and ultimately moving, The Reason I Jump provides telling insights into the neurodiverse worldview. The result is a powerful documentary that presents life through fresh eyes.
"My hope is that THE REASON I JUMP can encourage an audience into thinking about autism from the inside, recognizing other ways of sensing the world, at times beautiful and at times disorientating. I hope the film takes audiences on a journey through different ways of seeing, leaving a strong sense of how the world needs to change to become fully inclusive." - Jerry Rothwell