February 13th at 7:30pm
Special Screening of
Life Animated
Q&A Post Film with Subjects of the Film
Ron, Cornelia and
Owen Suskind
and TPH’s Marshall Fine
Main Hall
February 13th at 7:30pm
In Partnership with Devereux *
From Academy Award® winning director Roger Ross Williams, LIFE,
ANIMATED is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man with
autism who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family
discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the
world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age
story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first
steps toward independence. The subject of his father Ron Suskind’s New
York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three year old who suddenly
and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to
connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or
desires.
Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like THE
LITTLE MERMAID and THE LION KING, Owen found useful tools to help him to
understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around
him.
LIFE, ANIMATED evocatively interweaves classic Disney sequences
with verite scenes from Owen’s life in order to explore how his
identification and empathy for characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel
gave him a means to understand his feelings and allowed him to interpret
reality. Beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into
Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself
heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks.
Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which
stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times,
leading us all toward the light.
About Ron Suskind
Ron Suskind is a Pulitzer-winning journalist, bestselling author, and the founder of Sidekicks.
Ron’s latest bestseller, Life, Animated
(2014), chronicles his family’s twenty-year journey raising and
connecting to their autistic son. The Suskinds are also the subject of
an award-winning documentary
feature of the same name (2016). Their story has driven activism and
research about the compensatory strengths of those with autism and
others who are “differently-abled” due to distinctive neurology or
sociocultural backgrounds. Ron’s company, Sidekicks, is leading efforts to build a next generation of augmentative technologies to lift and support these communities.
Ron’s other works include Confidence Men (2011), about the fall of the U.S. economy and the presidency of Barack Obama; The Way of the World
(2008), about the forces fighting the global “hearts and minds”
struggle at a time when awesomely destructive weapons are available to
the common man; The One Percent Doctrine (2006), about the U.S. government’s frantic improvisation to fight a new kind of war after 9/11; The Price of Loyalty (2004), about the inner workings of the American government and Presidency of George W. Bush; and A Hope in the Unseen (1998), a nonfiction narrative that helped redefine national debates on race, class and achievement.
Ron often appears on network television and has been a contributor
for The New York Times Magazine and Esquire. Ron was the Wall Street
Journal’s senior national affairs reporter from 1993 until his departure
in 2000, and won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. He
currently lives in Cambridge, MA, with his wife, Cornelia Kennedy
Suskind, and lectures about narrative and justice at Harvard Law School.
*Devereux,
a leading……, integrates the latest scientific and medical advancements
with time-tested philosophies and compassionate family engagement to
provide practical, effective and efficient care – making a meaningful
difference in the lives of those we serve, and the world around them.
Devereux helps change the lives of people with Autism, Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities, Specialty Mental Health Needs, and Child
Welfare concerns.