A wise small film about three disabled young men, and the hurried sister of one of them.

My good friend and collaborator at NEWHD Radio (the station dedicated to giving people on the autistic spectrum career opportunities) send me a link to “Pulling Threads,” an independent movie about three teenagers with different disabilities, who navigate high school. They try to be as independent in their lives as they can get, while acknowledging the qualities and difficulties of their conditions.

Speaking from my autistic perspective, there are those who don’t have jobs or are neglected by their parents, both of which is dreadful. But I know there are those willing to broaden their horizons. I have with my taste in movies, and my mom has a book called “Autistic Legends Alphabet Book,” which includes Tim Burton and Bobby Fischer. I can’t speak for everyone, but I appreciate what “Pulling Threads” is allowing us to convey.

We meet Steph (Chloe Sutterfield), a mentally disabled young gamer, who has homeschooled by her mother until the day she heads off to high school. Subtitles are crucial, because without them, you can’t understand this kid much. I’m not saying this to be disrespectful; I’m saying it so we can know what she’s saying. And she does have a voice. At least, he wants to have one. And that’s why she doesn’t want to use a speech device in class. However, she’s threatened with going back to homeschooling.

We meet Tony (Alexander Burgos), a young wrestler with dyslexia, who is struggling on his essay tests, and his teacher suggests he takes a resource class. His father is such a jerk, that he decides to stay with his uncle on his horse ranch. This segment could work on his character development a bit, but his tone convinces us of his challenges.

And we meet Emma (Ariana Caldwell), whose younger brother Martin (Havon Baraka) has synesthesia and autism, which would both help him see that vision and sound are connected. She tries to keep her life balanced as a sister, daughter, and student, which is why she steals her brother’s medication. And he finds out he got accepted into the Berkeley College of Music, which he didn’t tell her about.

“Pulling Threads” is a honest portrayal of how people with different conditions can function. And out of all the characters who have neither of the boys’ conditions, the one who stands out is Emma. She represents a sister who feels obligated to help her brother out, which is one of the reasons why struggles with her schoolwork and why she resorts to drugs. I have an older sister who would help me with certain situations. She never took pills, which is a good thing, but seeing a sister help out her autistic brother is uplifting to me.

Two months in a row, I’ve enjoyed an independent film about autistic characters whose families I can relate to. “Ezra” reminded me of how my mother would fight those who would belittle me, and now, we have “Pulling Threads.”

This is a festival feature that hasn’t found a release date or distributor, but there is a link right below for you to see. I was able to show my respect for these three boys, because of their challenges and goals. People of all conditions can get help, but they can also speak for themselves if they have the opportunity.

Available Right Here

https://filmfreeway.com/PullingThreads