One can learn a lot about children and how they respond uniquely to great traumas in their young lives. Being able to understand and deal with grief is something that adults tend to shelter children from in order to protect them. Since some tend to have very strong memory capabilities until they learn from peer pressure that tone down that ability, it should not be surprising that traumatic memories can have significant effects. This movie seems to portrays this situation very well. It also illustrates how little we know about autism, it's causes and effects. Jake figuratively throwing up his hands after seeming to have no idea how to help Sally clearly indicated to me how so-called traditional medicine is really only good for treating the symptoms of disease and most often fails to treat the route causes. The underlying theme seems to me to be about the common 'fear of falling'. We all deal with our own fears in many different ways, with some letting such fears paralyze and traumatize them throughout their lives. While others "get back on the horse" and are able to overcome them. Those who are successful at conquering their fears do so at their own pace, in their own time. Those who don't suffer from them for a lifetime. The reaction to having things out of place seems to be a common situation with autistic persons . Perhaps it is merely a one personal fear that has not been overcome. The movie presents one other issue that we all deal with as adults and parents. Whether or not to trust or believe in the ability of medical professionals to help our precious children and whether or not a parent is a better judge of a young child's condition than the professional. How can someone who has not lived with a person really know what is best for that person in need? What do we do when a professionals' personal or career self-interests seem to interfere with what is best for the sick child? How do you trust your child to the care of an 'outsider'? In these days of movie blockbusters and sensationalized story-telling, it is very rare that a movie can be as timeless and thought provoking as this one while attempting to get the viewer to think about modern issues in non-traditional ways. This is definitely one of the best movies for making the viewer think about a number of issues and the possibilities that non-traditional thinking that sometimes yield.

"Tell me where is fancy* bred, Or in the heart or in the head? How begot, how nourished? Reply, reply. It is engender'd in the eyes, With gazing fed;...." --From The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare**Fancy: a noun. Etymology: Middle English fantasie, fantsy imagination, image, illusion (http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary)Can Katherine Turner's character be so insensitive to her children's needs yet find the key to unravel her daughter's catatonia? She's a rational architect who easily delves into the spiritual world, disdaining the scientific and humanistic one of Tommy Lee Jones' character. Do mothers know more than doctors?I found this movie enjoyable. I was able to suspend my disbelief at how obtuse the mother was, because the other characters rang true. I don't think the movie was trying to make a statement; I had the impression it was exploring a juxtaposition of science, spirit, instinct and art. Who better to create this than Michael Lessac? With his background in psychology and music, his credentials in a wide range of popular TV media support the theory that he understands people.

Everyone I know thinks this movie is weird, until I make them rewatch the beginning and pay close attention. Then they love it.Whoever trashed this movie regarding the autism obviously did not watch it. The child was NOT austistic. She was trying to handle her father's death with things she learned from her Mayan archaeologist friend.I think if you have any brain in your head and have an attention span large enough to actually watch the whole movie, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

I found the story engrossing and especially enjoyed how the characters put the pieces together as the movie progressed. I also thought parts of the soundtrack were excellent. There is one scene that has stayed with me years after I saw the flick.This is not a documentary. One reason I rented the movie is my clinical experience with autistic children. If you are the kind of person who requires movies even tangentally reflect how it is in the real world then don't watch it. If you think Hollywood will educate the public about autism this movie will upset you.This is a thinking person's movie.