''If You Could Say it in Words'' is a 2008 American

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

written and directed by Nicholas Gray ( The Paper Store). It focuses on the relationship between two disparate individuals. The film played at multiple American

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

s in 2008-09. It has also been screened in connection with autism "awareness" programs in Nebraska in 2009 and by the Dutch Ministry of Health's during Autism "Awareness" Week in 2010. The film will be distributed on DVD in North America by Vanguard Cinema in November 2010.

Plot

Nelson Hodge is a lower class painter with undiagnosed

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behav ...

who is immersed in completing a

triptych A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divide ...

of emotion paintings. Sadie Mitchell is attempting to get her life back in order while sacrificing in most areas of her life. The two meet by chance and engage in an awkward romance that starts to bring their flaws to the surface.

Cast

*Alvin Keith ..... Nelson Hodge *

Marin Ireland Marin Yvonne Ireland is an American actress. Known for her work in theatre and independent films, '' The New York Times'' deemed Ireland "one of the great drama queens of the New York stage". Her accolades include a Theatre World Award and nom ...

..... Sadie Mitchell *Gerry Lehane ..... Dr. Mark Gibson *Yvonne Woods ..... Julie Gibson *Susanna Guzman ..... Maria Ramirez *PaSean Wilson ..... Lucy *Douglas Stewart ..... Dr. Sid Meyers *

Dana Snyder Dana Snyder is an American actor. He is known for his voice roles of Master Shake in ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'', Granny Cuyler in '' Squidbillies'', Baby Ball on '' Ballmastrz: 9009'', and other roles in various Adult Swim television shows. His ...

..... Baseball Fan #1 *

Stephen McKinley Henderson Stephen McKinley Henderson (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor and director. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to promine ...

... Baseball Fan #2 *McDonald Gray Jr. ..... Dr. Radison *Sam Torpio ..... Ewan Lancaster *Katie Cook ..... Sally Stoop *Brett Casne ..... Yankee Hater #1 *Joseph Wickersham ..... Yankee Hater #2 *John Lewis ..... Yankee Hater #3 *Joshua Minton ..... Yankee Hater #4 *Tom Dudzic ..... Yankee Hater #5 *

Roberto Lombardi The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

..... Yoga Student

Critical reception

Alex Plank, founder of the

Wrong Planet Wrong Planet (sometimes referred to by its URL, wrongplanet.net) is an online community for "individuals (and parents / professionals of those) with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences". The site was st ...

community for

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and

autism spectrum disorders The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, first discussed the film on the organization's website with a February 2008 interview with actor Alvin Keith and director Nicholas Gray. In September 2008 he wrote a review in which he described his appreciation for the film's three-dimensional and unexaggerated interpretation of the disorder, calling it "...the most authentic portrayal of an autistic person I've ever seen in the movies." New York Film Critics Circle member, Mike d'Angelo, gave special praise to actress Marin Ireland, calling her work "...one of the most stunning performances I've seen in the past couple of years — easily my top Best Actress pick for various polls and surveys, at this writing, should the film get a New York commercial release."

Awards and nominations

The film was named Best Feature and Best of Festival at the 2008 Derby City Film Festival in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

. The film's West Coast premiere was at the 2009 Method Fest in Calabasas Ca, near Los Angeles. Method Fest is named after the famous "Method" school of acting, showcases breakout acting performances in character and story-driven films. At this festival the film was presented by award-winning writer

Dennis Lehane Dennis Lehane (born August 4, 1965) is an American author. He has published more than a dozen novels; the first several were a series of mysteries featuring recurring characters, including '' A Drink Before the War''. Of these, four were adapted ...

and earned nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Low Budget Filmmaking and for Best Actress (Marin Ireland).

References

External links

Official website
*
''If You Could Only Say It in Words'' at IndieGoGo.com

Autism Talk TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:If You Could Say It In Words 2008 films American independent films 2000s romance films Films about autism 2000s English-language films 2000s American films