MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A feature film shot in the Grand Strand about a year ago will debut Friday at Market Common.
“Learning You” tells the story of a father taking his autistic son on a road trip.
Director Tyler Sansom said he interviewed 100 families to ensure they would authentically tell the story of what it’s like for parents and children living with autism.
“For our casting crew, it was a massive learning experience. For the people that created the film like our producers and the company. We had done a deep dive into what it’s like to live with autism or what it’s like to be a parent,” Sansom said. “The lead actor, John Wells, actually has a son that’s profoundly autistic, so it was very personal to him, but for the rest of the cast this was a job for them”.
He said that casting turned out to be difficult for everyone involved.
“When we went to cast the role of Elijah who’s the main boy in the film it was extremely challenging because when you watch it you’ll realize there are dream sequences in the film where the dad is dreaming the son is no longer autistic it’s like heart breaking and so we had to cast an actor that could play both autistic and not autistic which is very challenging,” Sansom said.
The filmmakers wanted to have autism representation in the film.
“The other son in the film is played by an autistic actor named Seth Phrampus and so there’s both representation in that capacity and representation on the screen to let people understand a little more what it’s like to live with autism but also what it’s like to be a parent or caregiver for kids who have autism,” Sansom said.
Sansom said one key part of the film is the parents. Local officials at Champion Autism Network believe the movie will be key for spreading awareness.
“Oh my gosh, just to have any support any understanding is remarkable like we’re pathetically grateful for it as autism parents and I’m sure that this movie Learning You showcasing or sharing a parents journey will mean the world to these parents,” said Champion Autism Network Executive Director Becky Large.
The film will run for a week starting Friday at Market Common.
To learn more about the movie click here.
