Far from the Tree (2017)

Far from the Tree review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

It’s an easy mistake in our world of constant issues and troubling health that we so easily forget about those that cope with mental illness and physical disabilities on a daily basis. Documentaries and news reports take a glimpse into their issues but rarely follow them past the bullet points of showcasing their hardships. There may be an advisement of a charity or an act of kindness to end the segment on a happy note and the neurotypical populace goes back about their days, feeling good something nice happened to an unfortunate person with Down syndrome or autism or dwarfism. Far From The Tree at least aims to present a fuller picture of these stories.

Based on the non-fiction book by Andrew Solomon, famously known for his writings on depression, the film follows families that try to deal with the mental divide. Interestingly enough, Solomon himself becomes a subject of the film as well, bringing into question his childhood and how he was labeled a weirdo growing up. This aspect brings a bit more of a personal perspective for a film that aims to get very close with its subjects. And it goes into some dark places. For example, someone with dwarfism speaks of how strangers would come up to him and say they’d kill themselves if they had such a condition.

As the film progresses, however, it tries to paint a more nuanced picture of the lives of the disabled who don’t consider themselves so unfortunate. Jason Kingsley has progressed with his Down syndrome since being born with it in the 1970s, defying doctors who were willing to write him off as a “retarded” vegetable. Yet he still feels as though he’s not exactly someone to admire for his progression.

More distant and fly-on-the-wall is the following of Jack, a boy with autism. His story is a familiar one in the deeper diving features on the topic, showing the struggles of parents trying to connect with their autistic child. We see more hardships but also breakthroughs as well, watching a progression and comfort unfold with the young Jack.

Through joys and struggles, Solomon keeps popping into the picture to ask tougher and thought-provoking questions about how we treat those different from us. He likens the struggle of those with mental conditions being ostracized in the same with homosexuality is treated as an illness that must be cured. This is a very apt comparison, considering conversion therapy, where camps tried to erase homosexuality with their own menthos of cruelty, is still accepted by the religious to a degree we would deem unacceptable among those with autism or Down syndrome.

Far From The Tree is a mixed bag of joys and tears, giving a scattershot yet comprehensive examination of the stigmas and struggles that still exist with disabilities. There’s a very telling moment when one story features a teen who plotted a murder and is given tests to find out if he has something. He doesn’t, but why would we seek such easy answers in the first place? Is it easier for us to accept a murderer would have mental illness? It’s this questioning that showcases how we’ve come far as a society but still have a long road to go before we can erase this othering.