Narrative Matters: ‘Who decides what a meaningful life is?’ Life, Animated – a refreshing insight into an autistic person’s life

Abstract

Life, Animated (2016), directed by Roger Ross Williams is a documentary that centres around the life of Owen Suskind; an autistic person. In recent decades, the media has become a powerful tool that has been used to typify and inform public opinion surrounding autism. This article analyses the portrayal of autism in Life, Animated and draws out important learning points for clinicians, families, service users and the public.