‘It’s up to you to make a future that has you in it…’ We follow Zoe (Martinez) and her dad, Gerry (Jones) in a ‘day in the life’ of an autistic actress running the gambit of stereotypes she has to deal with – and her dad’s battle in supporting her forging that path for herself – in a funny, frustrating, painful and sometimes triumphantly sarcastic kind of way.
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Review by Julie C. Sheppard:
The short Once More, Like Rain Man is a real tribute to a feisty, determined young autistic actress. The film, consisting largely of a long series of her auditions over a day reveals how people (without autism) often do not fully recognize the truthfulness and charm of people with autism, seeing them only in a stereotypical light. This is in opposition to the on-screen relationship we see between the lead character and her loving, caring father who fully appreciates her habits, quirkiness and idiosyncrasies, as is very apparent with the sparkling banter between them in the screenplay – – such heartwarming chemistry and playfulness.
The cinematography is remarkable with a series of zoomed-in, intimate moments, most notably during the lead’s dynamic monologue under a bright spotlight on a bare theatre stage. Effective use of circular panning, and extreme close ups capture the lead’s inspired melodic song and quick-witted, well-edited monologue.
In terms of location choices, audition rooms of all shapes and set decorations serve to capture the lead’s long and rather frustrating attempts to fully win over the often bored, uninspired auditors. It will be fantastic to follow the career of this talented lead performer in real life. She will no doubt be successful, despite the limitations of many of those in casting, who have limited understanding of those with autism.
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