Jake (Sean Ryan Fox) is neurodiverse. He can’t connect at school despite being bright, he easily gets overwhelmed, and his mum can’t reach him.Into this equation comes Alice (Catharine Daddario), equally awkward and socially awkward, and they develop a friendship. This is The Midway Point, a thoughtful film by 20-year-old Lucca Vieira.
It’s a high-school romance with a twist, although Vieira allows the luxury of several genre cliches, from the classmates who ignore the lead, the teachers who disregard him, and the mother who fails to connect despite her best efforts. Locations have been carefully scouted to give a realistic feel, whether at home or school.
The Midway Point is honest about being overwhelmed and feeling like you don’t belong. It tries to bring a different take on the trope of boy meets girl, and despite presenting Alice as a rather whiny and unsympathetic character, it does offer an honest appraisal of what it feels like to be on the spectrum, just trying to find a way in, to belong.
It is a very sincere film that clearly comes from the heart. In Fox’s authentic performance, we find ourselves rooting for Jake, although it has to be admitted that there isn’t much of a linear story other than his connection with the girl who may be right for him. Don’t go looking for a backstory of why it is just Jake and his mum; don’t fret about why he is in a school that clearly has no resources to help him to academic success.
The film isn’t presenting Jake as the problem – nor does it suggest the solution is an easy one. Now and again the plot pauses for too long without taking the character on the journey which is important to dramatic film-making. However, it is a film in which its writer-director’s experience and intent is obvious in every frame.
Fox himself has spoken about his autism diagnosis, and brings to the role of Jake an understanding of how this diversity can impact a teenage life that is already flooded with hormones, self-doubt, and frightening feelings. Dadarrio is, at 31, a little too mature to portray a teenager, but she works well with the 22-year-old Fox.
The Midway Point offers an empathetic look at young neurodiverse adults without preaching or minimising their lived experience.
The Midway Point is now available on demand – find out more at https://www.themidwaypointmovie.com/.