Sweeping up seven Emmys, including one for best made-for-television movie, HBO's Temple Grandin features a riveting award-winning performance by Claire Danes in the real-life title role, portraying a woman who has spent her life proving, as one character puts it, that “different is not less.” Born in 1947, Grandin was diagnosed as autistic at age 4, with doctors predicting that she'd never talk and would spend her life in institutions. But her mother, Eustacia (Julia Ormond)—who was told that “lack of bonding” might have caused the autism—refused to accept the judgment. As a result, Grandin not only learned to speak, but also went to high school, college, and graduate school, earning a doctorate and becoming a highly respected scientist and expert in the treatment of livestock (she revolutionized the systems used to humanely prepare cows for slaughter, as well as the design of the slaughterhouses themselves). Although her talents included an amazing visual acuity that enabled her to remember virtually everything she'd ever seen, her social skills were severely lacking, and she had to endure the cruelty of fellow students and the callousness of more than a few clueless adults (notable exceptions included her Aunt Ann and a perceptive professor, portrayed by Catherine O'Hara and David Strathairn). Danes is marvelous, effectively capturing Temple's braying speaking voice and her sometimes violent reactions when overstimulated in this exceptional biopic directed by Mick Jackson. Highly recommended. (S. Graham)
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