Out Of My Mind I Movie Review By Aditi, 19, Bangalore
Aditi Sowmyanarayan gives a review of Disney’s ‘Out of My Mind’, that explores the powerful themes of inclusion, allyship, and the transformative role of technology. With sharp insights and personal reflections, the review underscores why this film is a must-watch for teens and adults alike, championing the message that everyone deserves a rightful place at the table.
Out Of My Mind Movie Review
A non-speaker who is a quiz champion?!! A non-speaker who is an award winning author of fiction?!! Well, you must surely be out of your mind! Out of My Mind is a Disney film, which is based on a book of the same name, written by Sharon M Draper, follows the journey of Melody Brooks, a non-speaking twelve year old with cerebral palsy, who has more to her than what meets the eye, a fact that her family is very aware of; and a fact that Dr Katherine Ray, a researcher who comes to observe Melody in her special education classroom, realises.
Dr Ray works on a plan to integrate Melody into the mainstream sixth grade History class once a week. An excited Melody begins attending the classes only to realise that in a world that equates intelligence with speech, a person without a voice will be underestimated, misunderstood and friendless. In comes MediTalker, an AAC device (the movie is set in 2002, pre touch screen days when talkers were devices manufactured specifically for this purpose and were super expensive too), that helps Melody find her voice, make a friend, claim her rightful place in the school quiz team, and even help her team win in the semi-finals. But what happens when things fall phenomenally apart? Does Melody find the grit to claim her true place in the sixth grade classroom?
Do watch the movie to find that out. The movie is a must watch for neurotypicals and neurodivergent alike, and is one that I could relate to on multiple levels; be that the theme of rock solid family support, the power of allyship, or the power of technology to create a level playing field. These are the very same factors that have facilitated my journey of finding my identity. Kudos to Disney for portraying some very difficult themes objectively, like the deficit centric approach of special education that does no justice to the cognitive abilities of the learner, ludicrous clinical assessments that pronounce the final verdict on a person’s intelligence and the hypocrisy of the school system that makes true inclusion a mere mirage. The most compelling theme ,for me, was Melody taking charge to claim her true space.
I will give this movie a 5 star rating for reiterating the simple truth- we neurodivergent deserve a space on the table; not because it’s the law, definitely not for charity, but because the strengths that we bring to the table can steer the team to victory!
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