Autism: The Musical (2007)

Powerful, poignant, and beautifully candid, this documentary brings awareness to the viewer in a unique, eye-opening, and often endearing manner. Stemming from their participation in The Miracle Project, a theatre arts program created by Elaine Hall, five autistic children and their parents are followed over a seven-to-eight month period. The viewer is allowed an intimate look into the daily routines of family life, school, therapy, music lessons, and holidays. We are allowed the rare opportunity of entering the world of autism through the eyes of the child and the parents, and gain a seldom-seen or heard perspective from them both that brings about a strong feeling of connectedness. The candor from the parents is both stunning and, at times, raw in its painful truth of autism's impact on the individual parent and in their spousal relationships. Through it all, humor and wit help maintain an upbeat feel so that one leaves not with a sense of heaviness, but with greater awareness, understanding, and hope of what can be. Not to be missed !