KIDS LIKE ME
(The Tribeca Film Festival is back and celebrates its 25th year! Taking place June 3 – 14 in various screening rooms around NYC, HtN has tons of coverage coming your way like this Kids Like Me movie review from Chris Reed! Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
There’s a special cameo in Kids Like Me, a new documentary from directors Jon Cohrs (Back Water) and Cynthia Lowen (Battleground), that you’ll probably see coming from (almost) the start but which is still thoroughly thrilling. Since this is a movie about a 12-year-old boy, Oliver, who has severe physical disabilities, it’s nice to see good things happen. Given the love-filled Massachusetts community in which Oliver resides, and the supportive family he has, this is fortunately not the only positive in his life. Indeed, Kids Like Me shows us the entirety of his world, for better and for worse, in a fully realized, moving portrait.
Above all, Oliver likes murder mysteries. Give him a whodunnit and he’s a happy camper, be it Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Monk, or something else. As we begin our tale, Oliver is in the middle of shooting his own take on the genre—entitled “The Game Is Murder”—helped out by the townspeople of Montague, who play supporting roles (Oliver plays the detective). Helped out by the documentary crew, Oliver and company have access to a soundstage and professional equipment, and the result is simultaneously clever and hilarious.
Parents Casey and Chad, along with younger sister Willa, feature prominently. Granted intimate access to the home, Cohrs and Lowen show us the ups and downs of Oliver’s daily existence, and the challenges and joys for mom, dad, and sibling. Born with a fused skull, fused knees and elbows (which means he cannot bend either legs or arms), Oliver has also had to use a tracheostomy tube from the age of two weeks. He is much smaller than other sixth graders, though with a big personality.
He is also quite intellectually precocious, and very well-read. His sharp mental acuity does not keep him from childish tantrums directed at his able-bodied sister, however. Then again, he is only 12.
It’s an extremely heartwarming story, though we can read the anxiety on Casey and Chad’s faces as they face the more difficult aspects of the present and future. They are remarkable in their efforts, doing all they can to empower Oliver while not neglecting Willa. No wonder they inspire such compassion from neighbors. Despite what some in our political would have us believe, empathy is what makes us human.
Considering all that we watch here, it’s a pity we don’t get to see more of “The Game Is Murder.” What we do catch is good fun and showcases Oliver’s writing and directorial talents. And then there’s the (not so) surprise cameo, adding delight upon delight. It’s not the worst to leave a film wanting more, and Kids Like Me does just that, guiding us on a poignant cinematic journey through the life of one extraordinary child.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
