Mattress is a heartfelt film that brings to light the difficulties of a parent recognizing that their child is neurodiverse and needs to have special treatment.
A Singaporean mother, Siti, has a difficult time accepting that her 7-year-old son, Aqil, is autistic. Her husband's worries about the boy's delayed development and her mother-in-law is annoyed that he can't speak Malay. Siti blames a bedbug situation on Aqil's behavior and only after doing all she can about that, does she finally accept his neurodiversity.
This is a beautiful film about a difficult situation. It's well produced, from the camera work to the audio recording, the locations and sets. The actors all give believable performances and the pace of the story allows the viewer to climb inside this family's situation. When the mother finally accepts her son's condition, I had a sense of relief, that at least he could be accepted for whom he is instead of whom his parents want him to be.
The film's message is about truth and acceptance. Life sometimes throws challenges at us that we didn't expect, but accepting them is the first step towards new ways of being.
I give Mattress 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. I don't know how many film festivals will play this, but it is a beautiful film that will touch your heart. By Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
Mattress is a heartfelt film that brings to light the difficulties of a parent recognizing that their child is neurodiverse and needs to have special treatment.
A Singaporean mother, Siti, has a difficult time accepting that her 7-year-old son, Aqil, is autistic. Her husband's worries about the boy's delayed development and her mother-in-law is annoyed that he can't speak Malay. Siti blames a bedbug situation on Aqil's behavior and only after doing all she can about that, does she finally accept his neurodiversity.
This is a beautiful film about a difficult situation. It's well produced, from the camera work to the audio recording, the locations and sets. The actors all give believable performances and the pace of the story allows the viewer to climb inside this family's situation. When the mother finally accepts her son's condition, I had a sense of relief, that at least he could be accepted for whom he is instead of whom his parents want him to be.
The film's message is about truth and acceptance. Life sometimes throws challenges at us that we didn't expect, but accepting them is the first step towards new ways of being.
I give Mattress 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. I don't know how many film festivals will play this, but it is a beautiful film that will touch your heart. By Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
A Singaporean mother, Siti, leaves her managerial job to devote herself fully towards preparing her 7-year-old son, Aqil, for an autism assessment. Despite her husband's worries about Aqil's delayed development and her mother-in-law's frustration at Aqil's inability to speak Malay, Siti attributes these to their ongoing bed bugs infestation and insists on sending him to a mainstream primary school. However, after hiring exterminators and purchasing a new mattress, a bed bug reinfestation finally forces Siti to confront the hard truth about Aqil's neurodiversity. From Singapore; Dialogue in English and Malay
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