critics consensus

The Reason I Jump's moving personal perspective succeeds in providing an authentic understanding of its subjects' journeys. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Filmmaker Jerry Rothwell examines the lives of five young people who live with autism spectrum disorder.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Jerry Rothwell
Producer:

Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
Writer:

Naoki Higashida
Release Date (Theaters):

Jan 8, 2021 limited
Runtime:

1h 22m
Production Co:

Vulcan Productions, Runaway Fridge, BFI Film Fund, Met Film Production, British Film Institute, The Ideas Room

Cast & Crew

Jerry Rothwell
Director

Naoki Higashida
Writer

Jeremy Dear
Producer

Stevie Lee
Producer

Al Morrow
Producer

Jody Allen
Executive Producer

Show all Cast & Crew

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Critic Reviews for The Reason I Jump

All Critics (45) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (1)

'Jump" reveals the reality of life for those on the autism spectrum and debunks a lot preconceptions. What a lovely film.

January 16, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
By opting for a measured and more humble approach, "The Reason I Jump" solidifies as less of an instructive solution than an empathetic work of encouragement.

January 12, 2021 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

David Ehrlich
indieWire
The Reason I Jump will be revelatory for viewers who know little about the subject, and affirmative for caregivers and parents of children on the autism spectrum.

January 12, 2021 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
While it's tricky for a neurotypical person (such as myself) to know how well it succeeds - as Mitchell says, "neurotypicals are rubbish at understanding anything that is not neurotypical" - I do feel like it reaches its aims.

January 12, 2021 | Full Review…

Alissa Wilkinson
Vox
It's a blatantly didactic film, yet its focus on advocacy feels justified given the misconceptions that continue to dominate society's understanding of the autism community.

January 11, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Beatrice Loayza
AV Club
It's a leap of faith that is deeply rewarding.

January 11, 2021 | Rating: A- | Full Review…

Adam Graham
Detroit News
This is a film that is all about connection, not just between parent and child but aiming to bridge the gap between the way those with nonspeaking autism perceive the world and the way that they, in turn, are perceived by the neurotypical.

February 23, 2021 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film
I enjoyed this film as far as its entertainment content goes, but as far as journalism goes, I think it falls short since it embraces some controversial beliefs as facts in a very uncritical way.

February 14, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
The film repeatedly emphasizes sensory details, at turns utilizing heightened sounds, a hyper-zoomed focus on specific visual cues, and even shots that try to stimulate one's sense of touch.

February 8, 2021 | Full Review…

Dan Schindel
Hyperallergic
The point being that Naoki and countless others experiences the world differently, even better way than we 'normal people' do - a sensory rich world we can only approximate on film.

January 30, 2021 | Full Review…

Dustin Chang
ScreenAnarchy
"The Reason I Jump," the compassionate documentary by Jerry Rothwell, is a surprising look at the autism spectrum.

January 29, 2021 | Full Review…

Neely Swanson
Easy Reader (California)
The level of intelligence emanating from humans incapable of verbalizing these concepts is revelatory.

January 18, 2021 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Edwin Arnaudin
Asheville Movies