Temple Grandin

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mick Jackson directs. Ivan Strasburg behind the camera. Alex Wurman scores. Leo Trombetta cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 16 years ago.
• 2Directed by Mick Jackson, shot by Ivan Strasburg. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Alex Wurman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Leo Trombetta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Claire Danes and David Strathairn and Barry Tubb carry the top of the cast.
• 6Marketing tagline: "Autism gave her a vision. She gave it a voice.".
• 7IMDB entry: tt1278469 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Classified under 8 themes, including "boston, massachusetts", "veterinarian", "autism", "biography".

The technical file

Cinematography

Ivan Strasburg

Original score

Alex Wurman

Editing

Leo Trombetta

Costume design

Cindy Evans

Runtime

108 min · 1h 48m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

Temple Grandin (2010) ↗

Also by

Mick Jackson

• 
  The Ascent of Man

  1973 · ★ 8.5
• 
  The Real Thing

  1980 · ★ 8.2
• 
  A Very British Coup

  1988 · ★ 7.9
• 
  Threads

  1984 · ★ 7.6
• 
  The Practice

  1997 · ★ 7.6
• 
  Tuesdays with Morrie

  1999 · ★ 7.4

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Temple Grandin (Trailer)

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• tmdb766221952023-09-30
  ★ 10/10

  Temple Grandin (Claire Danes) is just out of high school and sent to her Aunt Ann's (Catherine O'Hara, fitting into dramatic character roles very nicely) Arizona ranch. Her initial reaction to the climate and awkward way of behaving shows us that she has Asperger's Syndrome and/or autism. Asperger's is a milder form of autism, where the subject has better communication skills like speech, but is still unable to connect with our view of normal behavior. Temple grows to love the ranch, working with the animals and inventing an automatic gate that can be opened with the pull of a brass rod. She is very smart and detail-oriented, but must go to college. Temple's mother Eustacia (Julia Ormond, also maturing nicely into character roles) has been dealing with Temple's outbursts all of her life, and knows what it takes to calm Temple down. Unfortunately, college life is tough for Temple, who builds a machine that calms her but horrifies other students (it's a version of a cattle hold). Temple is thrown into this collegiate setting in the days before special services, yet she manages to make it through, and goes on to get her master's degree in animal husbandry back in Arizona. Again, Temple runs into obstacles- in the form of the cattlemen who don't want her around studying such silliness as what the cows' mooing mean- plus she is a woman, and they just aren't allowed. Temple designs and implements a new way to send cattle through a medicinal dip that is more humane to them, and then goes about rethinking the way cattle are slaughtered. Temple feels that animals were put on this earth for the service of man, but there is no reason we cannot be kind to them as part of their use as food and other products, and it makes good business sense. Temple is headstrong, but she does not see the world like you and I do. She sees everything as a picture, and takes puns and jokes literally. When she hears the term "animal husbandry," her mind calls up a person marrying an animal, and so on. Death is a foreign concept, too, for both animals and humans. When a major character dies, she wonders where they went, and doesn't understand saying goodbye to them at a funeral, since she just told them goodbye when she saw them last. Somehow, Grandin went on to write for technical ranching journals, before becoming an autistic advocate, and the screenplay is based on two books- both of which she authored. Mick Jackson's direction is fantastic. Using special effects appropriately, he shows the viewer how Grandin is able to picture things in her mind. These scenes are a great learning experience without overwhelming the screen with technical wizardry, and tell us that autistics are not mentally deficient; they are different, not less (a line from Temple's mother). While the screenplay jumps back and forth in time too often (college, and then boarding high school?), it does not lose its focus on Grandin. While the supporting cast gets to use their onscreen time, the film has one central character who is fascinating enough to watch without any melodramatic gristle to get in the way. O'Hara is great as Aunt Ann, who knows her niece so well. Her reassuring phone calls and scenes with Temple's worried mom are well-played. Ormond is phenomenal as Temple's mother. I could completely associate with her, watching her offspring doing something strange, and blaming themselves for their child's condition. Eustacia is no screaming battleaxe, telling everyone where to stick their assorted diagnoses. She has the patience of a saint, deciding to teach Temple to speak with flash cards, and hesitantly accepting that her child is not able to show love and affection. David Strathairn is also wonderful as Temple's science professor at the boarding school, recognizing that Temple is brilliant if the coursework is changed to fit her learning style. Claire Danes is a revelation. She has been simply good in "Romeo + Juliet" and the third "Terminator" film, but her googly-eyed emoting in the overrated "My So-Called Life" drove me batty. I have seen interviews with the real Temple Grandin, and Danes doesn't just do a good job, or master some observed mannerisms, she becomes Temple Grandin. She nails it from the very first scene, and consistently got it right. The viewer doesn't need someone to come out and explain every one of Temple's quirks; her fear of automatic doors and lashing out physically when she feels threatened are all embodied by Danes. She is so good, I forgot I was watching a performance. This is one of the best pieces of acting I have ever seen, and I have been reviewing films in one way or another since elementary school. I loved "Temple Grandin." I could associate with it thanks to a family situation, but many more can find inspiration here. Not only will Temple's story inspire autistics and their families, this work might demonstrate to emerging artists what a powerful medium film can be.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  HBO Films

  US

• RU

  Ruby Films

  GB

Key crew

• TeleplayChristopher Monger
• TeleplayMerritt Johnson
• AuthorMargaret Scarciano
• Executive ProducerDante Di Loreto
• ProducerScott Ferguson
• Executive ProducerPaul Lister
• Executive ProducerAlison Owen
• Executive ProducerEmily Gerson Saines
• EditorLeo Trombetta
• CastingRichard Hicks
• Art DirectionMeghan C. Rogers
• Set DecorationGabriella Villarreal
• Costume DesignCindy Evans
• Executive ProducerAnthony Edwards
• Executive ProducerGil Bellows
• AuthorTemple Grandin

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• boston, massachusetts
• veterinarian
• autism
• biography
• new hampshire
• slaughterhouse
• university
• livestock

Release history · US

When it landed

• TV2010-02-06

Also known as

International titles

• 自闭人生CN
• 템플 그랜딘KR
• 天寶葛蘭汀CN
• Temple Grandin - Du gehst nicht alleinDE