Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin (2010)
Directed by Mick Jackson. Starring Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, and David Strathairn.

This was not so much a remarkable film as it was a remarkable role.

Claire Danes excels in this performance as Temple Grandin, a contemporary woman with autism, which couldn't have been an easy role to play. Temple dealt with autism in a time when very little was known about it and it was definitely not culturally accepted. For example, the one doctor we see in the film basically blames it on her mother not doing a good job raising her (gotta love the 50s). Temple went on, with the help of a caring teacher, to make it through school and college, and on to master's and doctoral degrees. She then went on to work with animals, which she could understand better than people. Appalled by the conditions on ranches, she went on to redesign many of the systems used in cattle ranches throughout the slaughter process, to allow the cows to stay more calm. Finally, she went on to be an advocate and celebrity in terms of bringing awareness to those living with autism.

Yeah, wow. What a life.

And the film, though an HBO movie and not a theatrical release, is well done. It manages to hint at what autism is like, showing the world through Temple's eyes. For example, when her aunt asks her to open the gate, within a few days, she has managed to design a pulley system that allows one to pull the gate open for the car, allowing just long enough for the car to get through before it swings back closed. We see her figuring this out, imagining angles and forces. The way she sees the world is incredible -- in pictures, rather than words or ideas, like most of us think. Though this is well understood now, it was hardly even considered when Temple was growing up, which makes this film just that much more incredible.

I know Claire Danes best from the Baz Lurhman version of Romeo + Juliet so it was interesting to see her tackle such a complex role. Though I didn't see this before awards season, I remember it taking home lots of trophies at both the Emmy's and Golden Globes... and the real Temple Grandin was at both shows. The images of Temple up on stage with Claire Danes floated around in my head as I watched this, and it added sweetness to the film.

This wasn't the kind of thing I would usually choose to watch on my own, but it was an interesting example of making a film that really explores an individual's POV. I was utterly carried away by Temple's life and completely engrossed in the story. A well done work all around!