"Phoebe In Wonderland"
Phoebe is a little girl with undiagnosed Tourette's syndrome who is chosen to act the lead part in a school production of Alice in Wonderland. Played by a very young Elle Fanning (who I believe was more talented as a child actress than she is now), she is a delightful, imaginative child, but her family has a hard time dealing with her unusual behaviour.
It is a whimsical, beautifully shot film, switching between reality and Phoebe's interaction with "wonderland" characters inside her own head.
The part that I found the most frustrating is when a therapist that Phoebe has been seeing tells her mother that the child seems to have Tourette's, and her mother refuses to believe/acknowledge it as a possibility because she doesn't want Phoebe to be labelled or medicated. While I can understand that the mother doesn't want to take away any of her daughter's spark, or not to appreciate her as she is, keeping silent leads to much more grief in the story. Phoebe grows more confused and lost about why she is acting out, and others respond to her actions with criticism and punishment.
It made me sad to think that the stigma around her disorder, like around so many types of mental illness, kept the little girl from getting the understanding and help that she needed. However, it turns out alright in the end. How many happier endings could be achieved in real life if we were all more willing to address our problems and disorders without fear?
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