I bring this example up with some caution. It’s a really, really divisive movie, and people seem to disagree on nearly every aspect of it: from its treatment of the highly sensitive subject of 9/11, to the in-your-face sentimentality, to its child protagonist Oskar, played by first-time film actor Thomas Horn.
My reaction to it all was…not positive. I found the movie to be a misfire on all fronts, but it all seemed to stem from this lead character and how insufferable he is, especially since he’s in basically every scene of the movie. Many have speculated about where on the autism spectrum Oskar falls, which the movie addresses slightly, but even with what appears to be fairly high-functioning Asperger’s, he’s hard to sympathize with mainly because of the film’s perspective. And I come at all of this as someone who worked for years at an Autism Resource Center, so the fact that I couldn’t sympathize with this kid with such severe social and communicative obstacles was even more concerning.
It’s understandable though to react negatively to any movie presenting a precocious child from whom we’re supposed to learn a thing or two. It’s like a parent insisting to you how special their kid is. I’m happy that you love your kid and find him or her the best thing in your world. They’re just not necessarily that big a player in mine. So please don’t be mad that I blocked you on Facebook.
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