CMU Film Festival kicks off

An emotional documentary involving autism served as the inaugural film
in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium for the third annual Central
Michigan International Film Festival.

“Refrigerator Mothers,” directed by American David E. Simpson, was
one of six films shown on the opening day of the 11 day festival.
“Vodka Lemon,” a 2003 Armenian comedy, was the first showing in
Celebration Cinema while the 2003 American drama entitled “Barn Red”
was the first film featured in the Broadway Theatre.

More than 30 films from 16 countries will be shown at the three
locations during the festival.

“Refrigerator Mothers,” a 2002 release, documented the struggles
mothers faced in raising autistic children in the late 1950s, 1960s and
early 1970s.

Indiana sophomore Craig Story, who has a friend who suffers from the
life-long neurological disorder, thought the film portrayed the
condition accurately.

“It was really touching,” he said. “I expected more of a solution
(to the autism problem) but it’s still in research.”

The documentary stated roughly one in 500 Americans have autism, a
condition which appears early in childhood and prevents individuals
from living a normal life by disrupting their communication skills.

“Refrigerator Mothers” documented how in the early days of the
disorder, psychologists believed children’s mothers were at fault for
their child’s problems. Bruno Bettelheim, the declared expert during
the time period, claimed a lack of loving attention from mothers drove
children to autism.

The title of the film came from the term psychologist and doctors
used to describe mothers of autistic children who, “held back from
interacting and loving a child.”

The “refrigerator mothers” featured in the film, stated how
difficult those assertions were although they knew they knew they were
not true.

Sterling Heights senior Kristin Kelly, president of the Film
Society, said they expected roughly 3,500 individuals to attend the 70
showings throughout the festival.

“Our main purpose is to bring films to Mount Pleasant that area
people would not normally see,” she said.