In the television and film industry, people with intellectual disabilities have been represented minimally. Sure, you could make the argument that some characters in entertainment could be considered mentally disabled by what they do with their actions, but none of them really have purely stated that they do have Aspergers Syndrome. Down Syndrome, or something of that nature. As someone who has Aspergers himself, I’ve always longed to see or hear of a movie that would adequately represent a person with a disability in a dignifyed and understandble way just like how they would represent a person in the LGBTQ community. My wishes came to fruition when I discovered the adventures of a person with Down Syndrome in an independent film called “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”
Zak (Zach Gottsagon) is a person with Down Syndrome who loves to watch competitive wrestling but is stuck living in a nursing home under the supervision of her caregiver Eleanor (Dakota Johnson). Zak attempts to escape his confines one day and manages to do it successfully. Zak goes on a mission to attend wrestling school taught by his hero, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). Along the way, he comes across a vigilante named Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and at first, he tries to be rid of him. Later, he slowly but shortly warms up to him and agrees to help him fulfill his mission. Little do they both know that Eleanor is out on a hunt to bring Zak back to the nursing home. Can Zak and Tyler reach the wrestling school before it's too late?
The story isn’t too indifferent to many other road trip movies of similar stature. Still, the unique elements and the masterclass filmmaking make it seem more than just a simple point A to point B adventure flick. For one, this road trip movie dodges a lot of typical cliches that usually make up these types of films, making the adventure seem fresh, even if it uses an already established formula. Not everything in the plot has a clear answer such as who Zak’s real parents are, but it helps in not overexplaining character backstories and plot elements as it would have taken away from the true heart of the story. The other thing that helps this movie is the boatload of charm it carries with it. The film is undeniably delightful, and they make sure to include many uplifting and even inspiring momments that will make you see people with Down Syndrome differently. The humor and tone are clever in not making our main hero or everyone else around him feel stupid or unintelligent. The film understands the right balance of making everyone feel not one-sided in situations which is especially crucial to understanding the main lead. This is a movie that knows how to make an old narrative feel like a new one and chances are you’ll be charmed by the heartfelt and timely emotions this movie presents.
The characters could have easily been portrayed as too corny or too mean-spirited, but this movie decides to meet in the middle to make characters that are lovely to watch and interesting to learn about. The main star Zack Gottensagon plays Zak and its more impressive that they got an actual Down Syndrome person to play the part instead of getting an A-list celebrity to play the role. This makes the character more dynamic, and Zak emulates many things you’d expect to see in a person with Down Syndrome, such as slurring his words and being naive and pleasant in a world that seemingly looks down on his mental disabillity. Shai LeBouf does a pretty good job playing Tylor. As to be expected, he bonds very well with Zak and their relationship feels very genuine and not at all forced. Even Eleanor played by Dakota Johnston, who could have been so easily been a antagonist is also a well defined character who is doing what is best for Zak not because she thinks he can’t do the things he says he can do but more or less is just abiding by what society wants Down Sydrome people to live in this world. These characters are not one note and have complex personalities that make them engaging as well as charming.
The Cinemtogrpy is not trying to be grand or epic but it doesn’t need to be as like the narritive, the visuals are simple yet pure and beautiful. Seeing as the movie takes place in the north carolina area, expect to see a lot of swamps and beaches. Its also neat to see the motions and attributes of a person with Down Syndrome to be displayed in a visual meduim as the actions and visual cues a regular person with that said disability in full effect to help audinces to understand how down Sydrome people interact with the world. Its not the most complex imagery, but it doesn’t need to be as simplicity is the key for these visuals as much as it is for the story
The Music was composed by various composers and it follows a lot of the aspects you would hear in a lot of independent films. There really isn’t too much to say about the compositions expect for that they are nice and sweet just like the narrative and visuals and that is just fine by me in my book.
I’ve worked or meet people with Down Syndrome before and i’d say this movie managed to capture what it feels like to be in the presence of one as they portrayed a character with real emotions and complexities just like any normal human being. Even with taking the Down Syndrome aspect out of the film, the movie is ultra charming, simple and pure with many likeable characters and minimal but interesting visuals. The problems I have with this movie boil down to nitpicks because there are just so many delightful things for me to turn this sweet movie down I’m so proud of these filmmakers for tackling the idea of a person with Down Syndrome and i’m hoping that we will maybe get more films starring people with disabilities in a way to make other people understand their complexities and challenges.
(Final Grade: A-)