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Autism Major 
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TITLE |
David's Mother (1994) (TV Film) |
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DIRECTOR |
Robert Allan
Ackerman
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NOTES |
This film
though it involves romance never diverts from the |
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theme in
question. The film is called 'David's Mother' |
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because it
concentrates on the situation of the mother of a |
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boy with
autism. The acting is very good, especially Alley and |
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Stockard
Channing. The script is good and rather than being |
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a story with
a beginning and end it is a slice of life. There is |
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no easy
resolution, no fulfilled love, no happy ever after future.
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The centre
of the film from which the other themes spin off is |
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the mother's
refusal to put her son in care/special schooling. |
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The issues
are dealt with honestly, in some detail, and head |
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First thing
to note is that 16 year old David has severe autism. |
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He shows
almost no apparent communication with anyone. |
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His mother
seems to have hit the bottom. She is seen |
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drinking
wine in the afternoon:-) Relationships with everyone |
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have broken
down. She's divorced and is rude to her sister |
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who tries to
help. In fact her sister is paying for the expensive |
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appartment
in which she and David live. And she is not on |
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speaking
terms with her 20 year old daughter who is pregnant and lives
3,000 miles away. |
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She also
refuses help from social services. Clearly isolated |
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for some
time social services catch up with her. The social |
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worker says
"every handicapped child must be in a |
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programme."
(A legal requirement) But mum replies he's |
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been on a
programme and it terrified him. |
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There are
flashbacks to when they were well-off, beautiful |
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people. How
her devotion to David broke up their marriage |
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and
alienated her daughter. She blames herself for David |
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Oddly she
smokes in front of him unless this can be seen as |
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an
indication of the stress she is under. |
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The social
worker wants David in an institution where he would stay during the
week. But mum is afraid to let him go. At last she takes him to child
welfare where he is disoriented and violent. Eventually a compromise
is reached, she has a boyfriend who is supportive and there may be a
better future for David and his mother. |
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Notes
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