TEMPLE GRANDIN
US, 2010, 103 minutes, Colour.
Claire Danes, David Strathairn, Julia Ormond, Catherine O’ Hara, Barry Tubb, Stephanie Faracy.
Directed by Mick Jackson.
Temple Grandin is a fine film. It is a strong drama, a portrait of a woman who was diagnosed as autistic, did not speak until the age of four, had great difficulties in relationships but was an expert in imagining, learning by photographic memory rather than words, who was expert at geometry and measurements and translated this into building machines as well as designing mechanisms for the humane treatment of livestock. The actual Temple Grandin said she would not want not to be autistic because it was part of her and what she had achieved. The tagline of the film is what made her different made her exceptional. Temple Grandin continues lecturing at universities and is a fine example of how an autistic person can cope in the world. (There have been several films about autistic persons, especially Rain Man, and some films about Asperger’s syndrome including Adam and My Name is Khan.)
Claire Danes gives an exceptional performance as Temple Grandin. Julia Ormond is strong as her mother, Catherine O’ Hara sympathetic as her aunt. David Strathairn is the teacher who understands her and encourages her in her scientific studies.
The film moves backwards and forwards in time, explaining what it was like for the four-year-old to be autistic, for the secondary school student to be boarding and to experience the laughter from fellow students while being encouraged to pursue her studies. It shows Temple Grandin at college, the criticisms and ridicule, her achievement and her graduation – where she could bring herself to hug her mother, having the autistic repulsion to human touch.
The film shows how Temple Grandin was at home on a property, with cattle, learning from them and their comfort zones and ways of making themselves comfortable especially when herded together. This led to her understanding to organise and design mechanisms for dipping cattle as well as for abattoirs.
Temple Grandin continues to lecture at universities on humane treatment of livestock.
The film was directed by the British director Mick Jackson (A Very British Coup) who went to the United States and made a range of films including LA Story, The Bodyguard, Tuesdays with Morrie. The film was written by British writer and director Christopher Monger (Just Like a Woman, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill…)
1. The quality of this film? The story, the humanity and achievement?
2. A true story, contemporary story, the collaboration of Temple Grandin with Claire Danes for the performance?
3. Audience response to autism, knowledge and ignorance, emotional response, ability to deal with autistic personalities, learning the story of autistic persons?
4. Temple Grandin and her comment about not wanting to change, what made her different making her exceptional?
5. The re-creation of the period of the 1960s and 70s, look, clothes, décor, styles? Schools and homes, college? The farms, Arizona and the rodeos, the abattoirs, the cattle yards? Authentic feel? Musical score?
6. The structure, the shifts of time, each period illuminating the other for Temple’s growth? Helping understand her life?
7. The credits, the eye, the optical illusion, perspective? The reality? Temple and her photographic observation, the page in French, visualising Jesus for miracles, the astronaut for Professor Carlock? The importance of images, the geometric diagrams? The way the film visualised these – and for such sequences as the movement and circular aspects of the cattle moves? The response to too many words, sounds, colours? Not wanting to be touched? Temple surprised that others didn’t work in knowledge in this way?
8. Her geometric and mathematical abilities, engineering talent, the processes, imagination, building the machines?
9. Temple at four, not being able to speak, the concern of her mother, her mother trying to teach her, her mother’s belief in her, the pressures? The needs, explanations, especially about affection? Inability to touch and hug? The doctor and the straight speaking to her mother, about the absence of maternal affection? Her mother trying to teach her to speak with the images of cats and dogs, Temple looking away?
10. Temple growing up, speaking, very direct, no subtlety, not understanding jokes, her literal understanding and questions of similes and metaphors? Thinking in pictures? Understanding her feelings via photos of herself angry, happy, satisfied? People touching her and her reaction?
11. Going to the farm, the bus ride, arrival, confusion? Aunt Ann and her husband, the workers, their reactions, welcoming her?
12. Temple more and more at home on the farm, the empathy with the cattle, watching them, their upset, the squeezing of the cattle, their calming down, her imitating this, building the squeeze machine and using it to calm down? The work on the farm, enjoying it? Her wanting to stay?
13. Aunt Ann, her understanding, discussions with Temple’s mother? Temple wanting to stay, her memories of school, not wanting to go to school, boarding, the admissions board and their behaviour, the reaction of the other students and their mockery? Doctor Carlock, his background, NASA? His interest in Temple, persuading her mother that she should stay? His support? The optical illusion, encouraging Temple to build the box, Temple’s frustrations, wanting a clue, succeeding, the achievement, the encouragement?
14. Temple going to college, not wanting to go, the board and their critique? The French class, her sitting alone, the teacher and his reaction, her memorising the page instantly? Her repetition? Her room, the roommate and her hostility, the calming machine, the girl calling her a pervert? The reaction of the authorities, the assumed sexual implications? Her machine taken, trashed, her being upset? The blind girl sharing the room, support, the complementarity of sounds and images, their friendship? Her taking on the project, testing the girls, the collage of their responses, her statistics, questions? Her seeming to fail the exam, going to the professor, explaining what she had done, the recognition of her achievement?
15. Graduation, her speech, Ann and her mother in the audience, the blind girl and support, her embrace of her mother, however tentative?
16. The job with the cattle, Arizona, the men and their reactions to her, taunting her? Her observations of the cattle, the experience of the dip, the possible drowning of the calf? Realising the semi-circular and circular movement of the cattle? Writing up her observations, the articles, talking to the editor, getting the press pass, her success?
17. The visit to the east, the social party, talk, bluntness, people being wary? Needing her comfort machine?
18. The design of the dip, the articles, the readers and their reactions, the machine and its design, the workers and their not understanding it, pulling it down, drowning the cattle, her angry reaction?
19. The editor, the men who supported her, her buying better clothes, being more sociable? The press pass?
20. The abattoirs, the design, the arguments, her pointing out the saving and costs of labour? Her meeting Betty in the shop, her fear of going through the automatic doors, Betty helping her, introducing her to her husband, the achievement?
21. The symbolism of doors opening, people helping her to go through doors? The background of popular media like The Man from UNCLE and its influence on her and her imagination?
22. The achievement, Temple Grandin as a person, her particular intelligence, contributing to livestock and humane treatment, her contribution to the world? A film of deep humanity?
