![]() ![]() It also reminds us that all kinds of people are capable of much more than we sometimes give them credit for. There are some harsh realities that we face as parents of children with Down syndrome and this highlights some of those realities. This isn’t a movie that’s a heartfelt drama with no controversy, but it is an absolutely necessary movie to see. Kelly M.Īdding to the above, my favorite part of the movie was when Zak tells Tyler, “I have to tell you…I am a Down syndrome person,” and Tyler responds, “I don’t give a sh*t.” I feel like someone outside of our community might be shocked but I was cheering him on on the inside. While filming, Zak actually inspired Shia to become a better person and a true bond was formed. Tyler pushed Zak to be his equal and he didn’t allow him not to pull his own weight. It’s about his hopes and dreams, disappointment and love, forgiveness and self discovery. It’s unique because the character with the disability is the “hero.” This is Zak’s story and it’s not about his disability at all. ![]() This isn’t a story where the character who has a disability is an afterthought or a “side” character. People with Down syndrome are not defined by their diagnosis They have capabilities, dreams, and they want a place that’s “theirs.” - Lainey M. I love this movie because people unfamiliar with Down syndrome sometimes expect individuals with Down syndrome to live in “places like that.” But the movie is a real view of what a real person may feel. This type of relationship was beautifully displayed in “The Peanut Butter Falcon!” - Lauren D. People with Down syndrome want to be treated like everyone else. This movie shows what a relationship should be like between an individual with Down syndrome and a typical person. This is also the moment my family and I let the waterworks flow. It speaks volumes to the gross undermining of those who have Down syndrome and the way society still shamefully treats them. The exchange between Tyler and Eleanor regarding Zak’s understanding is an eye-opening moment for not just Eleanor, but the rest of the population. Tyler treats Zak the same way he would any other individual and when Eleanor catches up to the two Tyler’s not shy about letting her know that the way she’s treating Zak is lowly and as bad as using the R-word. Zak makes a run for it, escaping the nursing home and eventually runs into Tyler, who’s down on his luck and running from trouble. Eleanor, his case worker, is kind but speaks to and treats him like he’s a child instead of assuming competence. Zak, a ward of the state who has Down syndrome, has been put in a nursing facility at a young age because he doesn’t have a family and the state doesn’t have anywhere else for him to go, thinking he needed more care than he actually did. But this fugitive figures he can help Zak achieve his dream first.Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through. The grungy gent is running from his own problems, hoping to make it to Florida before some angry fishermen catch up to him. So the superfan releases himself of his own recognizance late one night, with the idea of enrolling in his hero’s academy for bodyslammers, and ends up meeting Tyler. On the videotape that Zak forces his elderly roommate (Bruce Dern) to watch ad nauseam, the celebrity keeps pitching the wrestling school he runs in North Carolina. He’s also a huge fan of pro wrestling, notably a colorful grappler known as the Saltwater Redneck. ![]() (This technically makes Tyler the movie’s Jim, though given his puckish immaturity, he’s closer in temperament to Tom Sawyer.) Zak is a thirtysomething with Down’s syndrome. LaBeouf’s character isn’t the film’s Huck Finn that honor belongs to Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man who’s escaped the nursing home in Georgia where he lives. There are also many rivers to cross, and rest assured, the travelers of this quirky Southern-fried indie will find themselves literally sailing down a few of them. Whether or not she’s a fan of the literary genius, the film they’re both in is most definitely in love with the author’s notions of adventure, the allure of perpetual motion and Americana. The woman he’s addressing is Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a city-dweller who’s found herself in a middle-of-nowhere service station and in his company. The person saying this is a man who is, coincidentally, named Tyler, a swamp rat played by Shia LaBeouf so beautifully backwoods-scuzzy that you can practically smell the country funk coming off of him. “You like Mark Twain?” asks a character midway through Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s road movie. ![]()
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