The Reason I Jump

In 2007, Naoki Higashida, a non-speaking autistic 13-year-old in Japan, released the bestselling memoir The Reason I Jump. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory insights into autism with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.

Award-winning filmmaker Jerry Rothwell utilizes the potential of cinema to create a groundbreaking documentary that powerfully communicates the frustrations and enormous challenges of living with autism. He illustrates Higashida’s core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.

Filmography: The School in The Cloud (2018), Sour Grapes (2016), How to Change the World (2015).

Video talk with the director