The Reason I Jump – Hot Docs 2020
The bestselling book by Naoki Higashida serves as a jumping off point for an exploration of the experiences of non-speaking autistic individuals in The Reason I Jump. Published in 2007, “The Reason I Jump” was an autobiography by Japanese teenager Naoki Higashida, about his experiences growing up as an autistic child without speech. Naoki’s insights are provided along with profiles of five autistic individuals, who each express themselves in a unique way.
The Reason I Jump is a documentary by Jerry Rothwell, which combines dramatized readings of the titular book with a number of different case studies from India, Sierra Leone, the UK and the USA. At its core, The Reason I Jump is a documentary that seeks to dispel the myths that people with non-verbal are unable to express themselves in other ways, whether it be through writing, artwork, or the simple use of an alphabet board. As someone on the spectrum myself, The Reason I Jump is definitely a film I recommend checking out.
The Reason I Jump is streaming until June 24, 2020, as part of the online 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
