
Wonder debuted nearly seven years ago and it shamed all the other children’s films with their characters. It’s a heartwarming story about a child with facial differences and features Owen Wilson, Julia Roberts, and Jacob Tremblay, and directed by Stephen Chbosky. It was however appreciated for its focus on disabilities. Of course, there was criticism about featuring a child in the lead role who didn’t have the condition that defined the character, but on the whole, it became a benchmark for the portrayal of children with disabilities.
When it comes to Out of My Mind, the newest feature by Amber Sealey which was presented for the first time at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and which will come to Disney Plus later this year, casting is not a problem at all. The film is the first for Phoebe-Rae Taylor who plays a role of a character with the same condition as her, a sixth-grade girl with cerebral palsy named Melody.
The first time we meet her, Melody communicates with other people using a basic picture and word chart but only speaks to her parents and peers on the most basic level. She is of course well not trusted to provide voice-over for Jennifer Aniston but she remains unexploited in many ways while her father (Luke Kirby) feels the need for her to explore. It’s not surprising that her mom Rosemarie DeWitt is a fierce and fighting mother who is supportive of her daughter but is also experienced and practical of her daughter’s limitations.
When a PhD student (Courtney Taylor) who has been sitting in on her IEP meeting focused on discussing what the future might hold for Melody in her special education class, her teacher then placed her right into a sixth-grade history course with students that are the same age as her.
With the very cold teacher played by Michael Chernus, a warm-hearted neighbor, the character portrayed by Judith Light, and her family, she learns to use the Medi-talk device and demonstrates how clever she is.
It is possible to appreciate the fact that author Daniel Stiepleman (this time basing his work on a young adult novel by Sharon M Draper) persists in this phase because it was in the year 2002 when everything changed concerning Children with Cerebral Palsy. Melody has never made any progress and is confined to a special education classroom environment in which she is a part of the classroom and does the same things over and over again. A lot of people both new and old to special education concepts should understand that a vast array of changes including the practice of inclusion have occurred within two decades. When looking at the show today, this representation seems quite out of date keeping in mind that its audience is kids in upper elementary and middle school. Perhaps there would be a change in such focus points if the time period was the modern day.
One does not need to think that Luke Kirby is not the guy who is speaking of the focus of the meeting. Adding a sweet parental humor, you buy him as a devoted but stressed-out father.
While Stiepleman’s script downplays the challenges of parental figures, it’s easy to see how Kirby performed in the role. Also interesting is the way DeWitt and Kirby effectively blend in with one another. Out of My Mind, like CODA, does not portray parents who are completely over the marital bond.
Melody’s inner voice is done by Jennifer Aniston, who plays her inner voice. The voiceover frequently furthers the story, unlike in most movies where the purpose is solely focused on narrative. There are times when it is O’estin that more distracts the viewer than serves the overall purpose of the film. Storywise, Melody picks her voice because of her love of Friends. Since we do not have access to her voice continually, the integral voiceover seems at times, totally unnecessary.
Though Out of My Mind cannot be deemed as the ideal depiction of disability representation, this can be considered child-friendly and a great starting point in demonstrating those who have disabilities or are differently able, are just like everyone else with the same desires and fears. And the actress Phoebe-Rae Taylor is perfect in her role and simply impossible not to fall for. There’s no better mark than that one in terms of representation.
For More Movies Like Out of My Mind Visit on 123Movies