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The Boy Who Could Fly
(directed by Nick Castle, 1986)
The Boy Who Could Fly is a wonderful fantasy film that deals with subjects such as tragic loss, the death of a parent (and parents), autism, loneliness, bullying, alcoholic overweight teenagers who also played Natalie on The Facts of Life, alcoholic uncles who also played Herman Munster on The Munsters, teachers who are played by actresses that sound like they've smoked too much and are about to lose both of their lungs, and it's even got Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) as a psychiatrist.
Milly (Lucy Deakins) and her brother Louis (Fred Savage) move into a new house with their mother, Charlene (Bonnie Bedelia). Tragedy has recently struck this small, fatherless family -- their dad had a terminal case of cancer, we find out -- and instead of trying to fight the disease, he simply gave up and committed suicide. In the opening credits, we watch as these three people claim their bedrooms and it's heartbreaking to see Charlene (well, okay, it's heartbreaking after you've watched the movie and already know the story) go into the master bedroom alone without her husband to share it with.
Milly notices an unusual sight outside her window -- Eric (Jay Underwood), an apparently autistic boy that's the same age as her, has taken up shop outside his bedroom window, his arms outstretched before him -- as if he were trying to fly. Later, at school, she learns more about him -- his parents died in a plane crash when he was 5 years old. Mysteriously, as they crashed, Eric started acting like an airplane. He's been an airplane ever since. Milly and Eric start sharing a bond together when she volunteers to throw a volleyball at him during gym class (he won't throw it back.) But he begins to mimic what Milly does and this catches the attention of Mrs. Sherman (Colleen Dewhurst), the deep voiced teacher of Milly and Eric who happens to be an expert with autistic kids. She thinks Milly has the power to bring Eric out of his autistic shell.
As time progresses, Milly works with Eric at trying to reach him, keeping a journal at the same time. It's frustrating work but she is getting somewhere with him. At the same time, she and her family are trying to overcome personal obstacles in their life and the theme of the movie relies on Eric's own struggle as inspiration for all of the people circling around him. But there's more -- what if Eric really can fly? Natalie from The Facts of Life knows some strange stories about him. The film continues as this mystery unfolds, Mrs. Sherman struggles to save Eric from being institutionalized, and Milly falls in love with Eric.
I remember seeing this movie when I was very young on television, but everything that happened in the film was pretty much wiped from my memory -- except I knew it involved a boy at a window. Browsing through my cable TV's selection of movies one night a few months ago, I came across The Boy Who Could Fly, watched the movie trailer and decided to check it out and see what I could remember. Not much clicked as far as stuff I could remember seeing before, but I loved the movie. At first I didn't really like the ending, but I think it's okay now. It's a shame the film isn't really that well known (or is it?) I definitely recommend it.
(directed by Nick Castle, 1986)
The Boy Who Could Fly is a wonderful fantasy film that deals with subjects such as tragic loss, the death of a parent (and parents), autism, loneliness, bullying, alcoholic overweight teenagers who also played Natalie on The Facts of Life, alcoholic uncles who also played Herman Munster on The Munsters, teachers who are played by actresses that sound like they've smoked too much and are about to lose both of their lungs, and it's even got Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) as a psychiatrist.
Milly (Lucy Deakins) and her brother Louis (Fred Savage) move into a new house with their mother, Charlene (Bonnie Bedelia). Tragedy has recently struck this small, fatherless family -- their dad had a terminal case of cancer, we find out -- and instead of trying to fight the disease, he simply gave up and committed suicide. In the opening credits, we watch as these three people claim their bedrooms and it's heartbreaking to see Charlene (well, okay, it's heartbreaking after you've watched the movie and already know the story) go into the master bedroom alone without her husband to share it with.
Milly notices an unusual sight outside her window -- Eric (Jay Underwood), an apparently autistic boy that's the same age as her, has taken up shop outside his bedroom window, his arms outstretched before him -- as if he were trying to fly. Later, at school, she learns more about him -- his parents died in a plane crash when he was 5 years old. Mysteriously, as they crashed, Eric started acting like an airplane. He's been an airplane ever since. Milly and Eric start sharing a bond together when she volunteers to throw a volleyball at him during gym class (he won't throw it back.) But he begins to mimic what Milly does and this catches the attention of Mrs. Sherman (Colleen Dewhurst), the deep voiced teacher of Milly and Eric who happens to be an expert with autistic kids. She thinks Milly has the power to bring Eric out of his autistic shell.
As time progresses, Milly works with Eric at trying to reach him, keeping a journal at the same time. It's frustrating work but she is getting somewhere with him. At the same time, she and her family are trying to overcome personal obstacles in their life and the theme of the movie relies on Eric's own struggle as inspiration for all of the people circling around him. But there's more -- what if Eric really can fly? Natalie from The Facts of Life knows some strange stories about him. The film continues as this mystery unfolds, Mrs. Sherman struggles to save Eric from being institutionalized, and Milly falls in love with Eric.
I remember seeing this movie when I was very young on television, but everything that happened in the film was pretty much wiped from my memory -- except I knew it involved a boy at a window. Browsing through my cable TV's selection of movies one night a few months ago, I came across The Boy Who Could Fly, watched the movie trailer and decided to check it out and see what I could remember. Not much clicked as far as stuff I could remember seeing before, but I loved the movie. At first I didn't really like the ending, but I think it's okay now. It's a shame the film isn't really that well known (or is it?) I definitely recommend it.