Asperger's Are Us (2016) Review

I'm in love with Asperger's Are Us. It's a heart-warming and unflinchingly honest documentary with so much passion and love that watching it feels not only educational, but fun and best of all inspirational.

Asperger's Are Us is a documentary by Alex Lehmann (Blue Jay) that takes a look at four friends on the Autism Spectrum and the weeks before their final comedy show. They form the Asperger's Are Us comedy troupe, and they're all incredibly funny. Through the documentary we get to see their lives, how they deal with their parents, and each other, and their goals and passions for the future. 

Asperger's Are Us excels in every department. It is a beautiful looking documentary with some gorgeous looking B-roll footage of the urban landscapes; the camera, when interviewing the comedy troupe, feels alive as it follows the friends around capturing every little moment in those few weeks. It adds so much more depth than a standard form of interview with the subject sat down, here the camera and the subjects feel one in the same, it doesn't feel intrusive, it feels natural.

This documentary never shies away from some of the more emotional or "true" moments. Toward the end of the documentary New Michael, one of the group, comments on how documentaries tend towards moments of sentimentality. But Asperger's Are Us doesn't always do that, instead it captures the moments of conflict and difficulties in their lives and gives what seems like a real portrayal of people with Asperger's and their struggles. 

The only complaint I have is that the documentary focuses more on two of the four members. Noah Britton, the eldest of the troupe, and New Michael are the central focus of the documentary, and the other two members Jack Hanke and Ethan Finlan don't get as much screen time. It's not distracting and the dynamics between Noah and New Michael are interesting and perhaps shows the most about the group’s own dynamic, it just seemed a shame that they didn't have as much time on screen. 

Nevertheless, Asperger's Are Us is an amazing documentary, easily one of my favourites. It is a difficult yet passionate look at this group of amazingly talented and inspiring people, their struggles in life and their incredible achievements. This is not one to miss, and if you want to be inspired, educated, entertained and maybe shed a few tears then this is the documentary for you. 

9/10


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