Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald) is autistic. He used to be non-verbal, today he mainly speaks in quotes. He doesn’t like eye contact or hugs and he has issues with the texture of bananas and metal cutlery. His mother (Rose Byrne) and her new boyfriend (Tony Goldwyn) are willing to receive help – whether it’s medicine, special schools, or gripping his ear lobe instead of hugging. Ezra’s father Max (Bobby Cannavale) and his grandpa (Robert De Niro) wants to give him as “normal“ a life as possible by confronting him with the everyday. When Ezra is sent to a special school after an incident, comedian Max spontaneously kidnaps his son and begins a road trip to LA where he has been booked on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.“

Screenwriter Tony Spiridakis is processing the relationship between him and his autistic son in EZRA. Protagonist William A. Fitzgerald and De Niro’s son are also on the spectrum. This provides a detailed and honest look at the clinical picture - at life and how to deal with autism. The acting supports this focus: Fitzgerald’s debut is approachable and authentic, both parents act emotionally and impulsive, and De Niro in his role as the grandpa, whose conservative parenting style can be felt in Max years later, is more than a selling point for the box office. The absence of film devices is not a problem, as both the sentimental and humorous sequences hit the right note. There aren’t a lot of laugh out loud moments, the humor is always sensitive and is a necessary contrast to the serious interpersonal moments.

Lukas Hoffmann

Translation: Elinor Lewy