Roaming

I had the privilege of attending the Opening Gala of a truly memorable, touching movie that deserves our special attention.

The totally convincing, sensitive performance of Rhys Bevan-John as William - effortlessly draws you into the life and challenges of an Autistic young man who rises beyond his limitations and circumstances with the help of compassionate, understanding friends played by Christina Cuffari, Cory Bowles and Sarah D. McCarthy. We witness his struggles - as well as those of his close friends - and the solutions they find through mutual love and understanding.

We soon realize, that there is a little of William in all of us. That feelings of being different, feeling inadequate or unwanted at times are not unique to Autism but are parcel and parcel of the human condition needing to be dealt with - lovingly and compassionately - Touching, motivating, uplifting - A must see.

It's not easy making a full-blown feature film on CAD $150,000. It's even harder when you're the first film as part of an ambitious funding initiative by two government funding agencies (Film NS and Telefilm Canada's First feature Program), something that brings with it the weight of expectations. And it's hardest of all when you actually try to tell a serious story with complex characters, as opposed to just slathering on some zombie make-up and locking a few people in a cabin in the woods.

Is Roaming perfect? Far from it. It's a deeply flawed film in many respects (including some basic technical areas in the screening I saw at the 2012 Atlantic Film Festival, where the sound was often murky, and in a few cases botched completely), but even with those flaws Roaming is an ambitious film worth seeking out. It contains a riveting performance by Rhys Bevan-John in the lead role as a socially awkward (and perhaps autistic) would-be video game designer who is just seeking to establish some sort of "human" connection not only with the people around him, but with himself. There's solid supporting work by the rest of the largely unknown cast, and some clever dialogue and well thought out scenes. Most of all, it shows that Michael Ray Fox is a director and writer of promise and vision.

-Excerpt from full review at TheRoamingLife.com-

Roaming is the story of a man named William setting out to create his own independence, albeit at a much later age than most. It follows his story as he tries to get a job, the struggles he encounters with room-mates as he leaves his father's house, and perhaps most importantly, his foray into love and dating for the first time.

Not an easy path for anyone, and as is demonstrated early on, even more difficult for a mildly-autistic Will.

As if to curb criticisms, the film offers a very specific view on Will's behavioural condition, in that he is undiagnosed, and simply considered "different". At first, he does not seem interested in finding out more, and being treated as a patient to find his exact place on the 'autism spectrum'. Like many changing aspects of his life, it is a pivotal plot point that he eventually seems to understand himself enough to know his own fate in this regard, even if it's left up to the viewer to make their own judgments.

Fox does a solid job with the direction, keeping the pace and storyline moving, and offering slow tender moments when needed. The entire cinematic experience reminded me very much of perfectly paced and emotionally charged "Dear Frankie". Although, the small budget and limited experience does show through sometimes with the film wavering between looking fully-polished to quite-indie. However the subject is one that we can all reflect upon either finding similarities in ourselves, or in our loved ones who struggle with the same issues. In that way it is approachable to all.

Roaming is about much more than the perspective of adulthood, relationships and life as a whole when living with autism. It offers us the option to reflect on ourselves, how we relate and communicate with others.