Life Animated Film Analysis

“Who decides what a meaningful life is?” Ron Suskind asks this insightful question while talking about his son, Owen, who has autism. He is saying that just because someone has autism, that doesn’t mean they can’t live a meaningful life. Some people think that autism means that the people who have it can’t have normal lives, but who decides what’s normal? Owen shares his story in the documentary Life Animated, a touching and eye-opening documentary that allows viewers to enhance their understanding of autism through Owen and his family as they share the challenges he has faced.
The way Roger Williams, the director, incorporates interviews of the family members clearly illustrates what it was like for his parents to find out their child has …show more content…
She expressed, “I’m just going to hold you so tight and love you so much that everything’s just going to go away.” She just wants the best for Owen just like how every mother wants the best for their children. She wishes she could fix this, hoping that with enough love and care that she can make it all better, but she knows she can’t. For about a year after Owen’s diagnosis, he couldn’t talk. He would mumble imperceptible nonsense, but nothing that anyone could understand. One day, while they were watching the little mermaid, Owen said the first words he had said in over a year, “Just your voice.” He was copying the words of Ursula from the movie. His dad could not believe it. He said back to Owen, “Just your voice.” Then Owen, for the first time since he was diagnosed with autism stared right into his father’s eyes. He said again, ”Just your voice.” This seemed like a complete breakthrough. When Owen’s parents are talking about this, the audience feels the relief and pure happiness that the family felt in that moment. After seeing Owen connect with the movie the way he did, his parents realized a way that they could connect with him.