-Written by Kyle Bain.
Makayla is a fourteen-year-old girl with Autism. As a result of her condition, she is unable to speak–only just recently, via letter board, able to communicate with her family for the first time. Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World sees Makayla communicating with the world for the first time, expressing her thoughts, her emotions–and finally finding a way for the world to see her for more than just what’s on the outside.
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World is all about emotion and connecting with viewers on an emotional level. It’s successful in its venture to tug at the world’s heartstrings, it’s successful in allowing us to look inward, and it’s successful in allowing viewers to see the world in a different light.
When Makayla introduces her family, she describes them as such:
Mom: Store Owner
Dad: Famous Music Producer
Sister: College Student
Brother: Going Into Middle School
Me: Autistic
This is how she sees each of the members of her family. She talks about their success and the important things that are going on in their lives. She mentions things that she feels describes them as people–each of those things being positive. The moment that got to me the most in Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World was the fact that the word she used to describe herself was “autistic.” That is how she sees herself, and it’s clear that she feels trapped. While She isn’t able to verbally say these things, she wrote everything for voiceover artist Portia Cue to say on her behalf. Makayla’s own description of herself is reductive, and if that moment of this short documentary doesn’t get to you, then I question whether or not you’re even alive.
Writer-Director Julio Palacio also attempts to create a film that mirrors the way that Makayla sees the world. She explains that she sees things differently, that she absorbs information uniquely. Palacio often develops a colorful backdrop that helps to supplement Makayla’s words–and the beautiful, tantalizing visuals present in Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World are brilliantly successful. We are invited into Makayla’s narrative, into her challenging story as a result of those visuals.
Palacio brings this story to life beautifully, and he allows viewers the opportunity to really understand and appreciate Makayla, her family, and their collective story. Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World is a touching tribute to a strong, empowering young woman–and I’m sure that you’ll become emotionally invested within seconds.
Written & Directed by Julio Palacio.
Starring Portia Cue, etc.
7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
Comentarios