Temple Grandin

Anchored by Claire Danes’ best performance to date, Temple Grandin effectively rises above the limitations of the biopic genre to become an engrossing and downright fascinating look into the life and times of the title character. The storyline follows autistic scientist Temple Grandin (Danes) as she attempts to overcome a series of obstacles, some entirely unrelated to her condition (eg sexism), while devising humane methods for handling livestock, with the inclusion of well-placed flashbacks covering her upbringing and her education. There’s little doubt that Temple Grandin gets off to an admittedly slow start, as director Mick Jackson, working from a script by Christopher Monger and Merritt Johnson, essentially drops the viewer into the protagonist’s life with little by way of explanation or exposition. It’s only as the movie progresses and the details of Grandin’s life are fleshed out that Temple Grandin begins to morph into a seriously compelling piece of work, with Danes’ captivating turn certainly playing a significant role in the movie’s unexpected success (ie in the actress’ capable hands, Grandin never becomes the twitchy, over-the-top caricature one might’ve expected). The presence of several undeniably poignant moments (eg Grandin badly sings “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at her graduation) ensures that the film sporadically packs an impossible-to-anticipate emotional punch, and it’s consequently not surprising to note that Temple Grandin ultimately establishes itself as a stellar true-life tale that’s consistently heightened by Danes’ award-worthy performance.

**** out of ****