The Sunshine Boy

Interesting and informative, The Sunshine Boy is a documentary following Margrét Dagmar Ericsdóttir’s quest to learn more about autism after she learns that her own son is afflicted with the disease. Filmmaker Fridrik Thor Fridriksson generally follows Ericsdóttir around as she approaches various experts within the field, and also emphasizes the Icelandic woman’s ongoing encounters with other families whose lives have been touched by autism. It’s clear almost immediately that The Sunshine Boy, which is admittedly far from cinematic, would benefit substantially from a much shorter running time, as the movie ultimately does feel as though it would be a good fit for a one-hour documentary on PBS. Fridriksson’s tendency to bog the proceedings down with dry and downright technical interviews only adds to this feeling, although, to be fair, the director generally does a good job of sporadically highlighting emotional interviews with the parents of children afflicted with autism. And although there’s admittedly something fascinating about the treatment that one tenacious expert has come up with, there reaches a point at which the overuse of treatment scenes becomes impossible to overlook. Still, The Sunshine Boy stands as an effective primer into the world of autism – with the inclusion of several admittedly heartrending stories setting the movie apart from its similarly-themed true-life brethren.

**1/2 out of ****