The Reason I Jump: Living with Autism Reframed by Inspirational, Thoughtful Doc

By Thom Ernst

Rating: A

The many layers of achievements unveiled in director Jerry Rothwell's captivating documentary The Reason I Jump cannot be solely attributed to the filmmaker. I imagine Rothwell would agree, deferring attention to the triumphs of the film's subjects, all young people from across the globe living with a form of autism that severely hinders their ability to speak.

Rothwell guides the viewer through each of their stories like chapters in a book. In India, a young woman recreates on canvas what she is unable to express verbally. In the UK, parents discover their son's unique ability to find music in unlikely places. In the U.S., two teens form an inseparable bond and defy the odds by learning to communicate using letters.

The film's source material, the inspirational writings—a memoir of sorts—from 13-year-old author Naoki Higashida, resonates as the most significant triumph. Higashida’s book, The Reason I Jump, reveals a depth of understanding well beyond the ability of what we might expect from someone so young, let alone from a person unable to express their feelings through the spoken word.

That Higashida defies these expectations by his writing might feel like a miracle to the outsider, but to Higashida and others like him, it is nothing more than a reality.

Credit circles back to director Rothwell for reimagining Higashida's ground-breaking book as a film. Rothwell challenges us to authentically interpret the world Higashida reveals without sliding into heart-wrenching excess or contrived notions of personal heroics.

The film further acknowledges the parents' and guardian's accomplishments through their love and patience, opening a world of possibilities in their children's lives and in their own. David Mitchell, who co-translates Higashida's work, appears in the film, sharing his perspective working with Higashida and his own experience as the parent of a child with autism.

PROUDLY SUPPORTS ORIGINAL-CIN

Rothwell achieves the nuances and poetry that lives in Higashida's book by framing his documentary with excerpts from the book narrated by Jordan O’Donegan. The excerpts aided by the film’s only dramatically created moments feature a young Higashida (Jim Fujiwara) exploring the world around him. The real Higashida is now in his 20s and preferred not to be in the film.

The Reason I Jump is a remarkable documentary not because of what it includes but because of what it avoids. Initial reaction to the film is to applaud the movie for celebrating a triumph over adversity, as each of these youths achieves what we might imagine them incapable of achieving.

But Rothwell demands more from us than our admiration. Admiration is easy; what's difficult, and what Rothwell so effectively inspires, is a recognition that even a life we might label as compromised can be rich and fulfilling.

The Reason I Jump is the story of people struggling through a fog of misconceptions that prevents others from understanding. Rothwell's film elicits respect for his subjects and a fresh understanding of their lives and roles in this world. Not just their world. Not only our world. The world.

Not to be missed.

The Reason I Jump. Directed by Jerry Rothwell, from a book by Naoki Higashida. Starring Jordan O’Donegan, David Mitchell, and Jim Fujiwara. Streaming starting January 8 on On Demand, iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.