The Reason I Jump

12A

Blending Higashida's revelatory descriptions of his Autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people, The Reason I Jump opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.

Acutely observed moments in the lives of each of the characters are connected by passages from Naoki's writing, in which a young Japanese boy journeys through an epic landscape, gradually discovering what his autism means to him, how his perception of the world differs, and why he acts in the way he does: the reason he jumps.

The film distils these elements into a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki's core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.

This film was curated by the UK Subtitling Audience Network in collaboration with the HPPH. It will be followed by a discussion with Oliver Webster (Stagetext) and Carol Carlo Eugeni (Univ of Leeds) chaired by Sara Ramos Pinto (Univ. of Leeds).