Kids Like Me Proves Adversity is Only a State of Mind

Humans with rare genetic disorders  in cinema have always been viewed as award season bait (Mask, The Elephant Man, A Different Man) instead of seeing those challenged individuals as viable contributors to society.

Meet Oliver, a 12-year-old murder-mystery enthusiast with a vivid imagination and a rare genetic condition. Inspired by his love of the genre, Oliver brings his own mystery to the big screen and with a little help from his friends, a script is written, cast is set and Oliver calls “action” on his most ambitious adventure to date.

Not only are we allowed to glimpse inside Oliver’s creative process, but Kids Like Me is an honest portrait of family navigating challenging days, while celebrating dreams and what becomes  possible through support and a whole lot of love.

Directors Cynthia Lowen  and Jon Cohrs craft a story that honors both Oliver’s remarkable vision, the realities of sibling rivalries despite Oliver being charismatic, precocious and complex person he is and not by his diagnosis. Audiences become educated about  healthy conversations within a family that looks like Oliver’s and how they are initiated, fostered and encouraged.

Aside from his physicality, we learn of all the devices that are required for Oliver to survive. Oliver has partial hearing loss and wears a small device called a BAHA (Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid) on an elastic band that goes around his head. His BAHA conducts the vibrations of sound directly into his skull. This device can also be connected to the microphones that his educators wear, to help him hear better in class.

Oliver also uses a trach-tube to breathe allowing him to inhale and exhale directly through his windpipe and use a G-tube (gastrostomy tube) through which food is administered. Yet, Oliver could be seen racing through the halls of his school and far beyond using his“Croc” (an adjustable walking aide designed to maneuver through all kinds of terrain and environments.

Yet, we see how the world doesn’t always accommodate individuals with rare conditions as seen when Oliver graduates.  There is no ramp allowing him onto the stage like the other students who would later have a jam party after the certificates were all handed out.  Witnessing the disappointing anger from Oliver having that milli second moment of time that he was indeed different will break your heart.

Like most kids his age, he has an anxiety and fear centered around medical tape and shots.  Unlike most kids, he became a filmmaker and convinced Emmy winner Tony Shaloub to make a cameo.

At the end of the day, Oliver’s joy of creation, his passion for storytelling and the fierce ways he and his family move through the world makes ‘Kids Like Me’ is an awe-inspiring human story about family, community and love that transcends the divides shaping our nation today.