Based on the writer-director Adam Goldhammer's experiences with his sister Ilana to whom it is dedicated, this short film is an excellent, thought-provoking and poignant depiction of autism. The script is beautifully and very sensitively written by someone who has more insight into the subject matter than most. As Goldhammer was quick to point out in an online article, the storyline is not intended to be representative of everyone with autism as it is a spectrum. I particularly enjoyed it as it is a very effective treatment of a topic about which I know fairly little and, to that end, I certainly found it educational.
The film stars Hannah Anderson in an excellent performance as Kelly Turner, a 22-year-old who is forced to become the caregiver of her severely autistic elder brother Jesse after the death of their parents in a car accident several months earlier. It is clear from their interaction that Kelly loves her brother deeply. However, it is equally clear that she resents him to some degree as she wants to lead her own life and have fun like anyone else her age but the responsibility of taking care of him makes that incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Under the circumstances, however, these feelings are both natural and understandable so I couldn't really judge Kelly negatively on that basis. This attitude is best illustrated when she brings Jesse to the birthday party of her co- worker Colin, on whom she has a crush. The party atmosphere is probably unlike anything else that Jesse has experienced in his life and he becomes extremely agitated to the point that he inadvertently hurts Kelly. After this, Kelly realises that she has been unfair to him and apologises for dragging him along. The implication is that she will take her responsibilities towards her brother more seriously in future and that she will approach them with a less resentful attitude. In a lovely moment, in the final scene, the two of them repeatedly say "Whassup?" in imitation of the Budweiser ads from their childhood.
As strong as Anderson's performance is, it is Jake Epstein who steals the show as Jesse. I have been a big fan of Epstein, probably best known for playing the bipolar abuse victim / aspiring musician Craig Manning in "Degrassi: The Next Generation", since he starred in the Canadian paranormal kids' show "The Zack Files" in the early 2000s and this is some of his best on screen work. In recent years, he has found stage success both on and off Broadway and long may it continue since he's a wonderful and very natural actor. Epstein is absolutely pitch perfect as Jesse, an extremely endearing character who cannot understand, let alone come to terms with, the sudden absence of his parents. He clearly adores Kelly and wants to spend every minute with her and doesn't understand that she feels differently.
Overall, this is a very moving short film which does not offer any easy answers or tie up all the loose ends because life isn't like that. In any event, we are only getting a snapshot of Kelly and Jesse's lives since it takes place over the course of a single day.
The film stars Hannah Anderson in an excellent performance as Kelly Turner, a 22-year-old who is forced to become the caregiver of her severely autistic elder brother Jesse after the death of their parents in a car accident several months earlier. It is clear from their interaction that Kelly loves her brother deeply. However, it is equally clear that she resents him to some degree as she wants to lead her own life and have fun like anyone else her age but the responsibility of taking care of him makes that incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Under the circumstances, however, these feelings are both natural and understandable so I couldn't really judge Kelly negatively on that basis. This attitude is best illustrated when she brings Jesse to the birthday party of her co- worker Colin, on whom she has a crush. The party atmosphere is probably unlike anything else that Jesse has experienced in his life and he becomes extremely agitated to the point that he inadvertently hurts Kelly. After this, Kelly realises that she has been unfair to him and apologises for dragging him along. The implication is that she will take her responsibilities towards her brother more seriously in future and that she will approach them with a less resentful attitude. In a lovely moment, in the final scene, the two of them repeatedly say "Whassup?" in imitation of the Budweiser ads from their childhood.
As strong as Anderson's performance is, it is Jake Epstein who steals the show as Jesse. I have been a big fan of Epstein, probably best known for playing the bipolar abuse victim / aspiring musician Craig Manning in "Degrassi: The Next Generation", since he starred in the Canadian paranormal kids' show "The Zack Files" in the early 2000s and this is some of his best on screen work. In recent years, he has found stage success both on and off Broadway and long may it continue since he's a wonderful and very natural actor. Epstein is absolutely pitch perfect as Jesse, an extremely endearing character who cannot understand, let alone come to terms with, the sudden absence of his parents. He clearly adores Kelly and wants to spend every minute with her and doesn't understand that she feels differently.
Overall, this is a very moving short film which does not offer any easy answers or tie up all the loose ends because life isn't like that. In any event, we are only getting a snapshot of Kelly and Jesse's lives since it takes place over the course of a single day.
