Review: How the magic of movies unlocked a boy's mind

The most heartbreaking moment in "Life, Animated," an absorbing and ultimately exhilarating documentary about the journey of an autistic boy into manhood, is hearing his parents describe their feelings as they watched their healthy, happy 3-year-old deteriorate before their eyes, losing the ability to speak or interact.

[...] once we wipe away the tears from that devastating moment when doctors diagnose little Owen Suskind with "regressive autism" — and raise the real possibility that he'll never speak again — we're in for a fascinating, sometimes excruciating, uplifting and yes, even funny ride, thanks to director Roger Ross Williams and of course Owen's devoted and determined family.

"He's still in there," he remembers thinking.

[...] from that moment on, the Suskinds were on a rescue mission, they say, "to get inside this prison of autism, and pull him out."

The film jumps back and forth in time, from Owen as a child to Owen as a 23-year-old, about to graduate from his special needs school (save some Kleenex for the graduation scene — don't say we didn't warn you!) and begin living on his own in an assisted-living apartment.

A poignant subplot to the story involves Owen's relationship with a fellow autistic student, Emily, and the tricky terrain of discovering love and sexuality.

Owen's relationship at one point causes him great pain, and one of the toughest moments of the film is when we realize how ill-prepared he seems to handle a sudden emotional blow.

Life, Animated," an Orchard release, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America "for thematic elements, and language including a suggestive reference.