Educational Media Reviews Online

This first rate HBO Documentary Films production gracefully lays the facts on the table, and elegantly dispels the myths about dyslexia. Talking with children, young adults, and adult dyslexics, including some very well known people, the film highlights their struggles as well as their coping mechanisms and successes. Among the film’s strengths, (there are many) are the doctors Sandra and Bennett Shaywitz at the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. By including the Yale Center and the Shaywitz’, director James Redford has brought the positive side of dyslexia to the public. They describe their research findings about dyslexia with a quiet sophistication that is so effective in driving home the point that there is another side to dyslexia that the general public doesn’t understand and the need to be open to it. Most people probably think dyslexics mix up their letters and therefore can’t read or write very well. That may be true, but it is a gross generalization that often results in unfair judgments. The Shaywitz’ research demonstrates how the dyslexic brain functions, unraveling how it interprets letters and words and their corresponding sounds. While the dyslexic brain needs to “crack the code” of written communication, it also excels in creativity, problem solving ability, and thinking outside the box.

The Big Picture is beautifully filmed. The research findings, which in some documentaries can be very methodical and dry, are interwoven quite skillfully here. The film will be a good addition to academic library collections, particularly those in the health sciences, education and social work. Public libraries too will find this a very worthwhile purchase.

Dyslexia doesn’t go away, but dyslexics can learn to cope, and these coping mechanisms are illustrated in the film through interviews with a variety of dyslexics—young, old, and all ages in between. The closing montage of people stating their name followed by the words “…and I’m dyslexic” clearly illustrates the impact of the disorder. For those profiled in the film, not only are their stories poignant, they are fascinating. Figuring out a coping mechanism that works is a feat in itself, and then to go on to become someone who succeeds in a traditional school, a university, or the business and medical worlds is truly inspiring. On top of that, many find ingenious ways of hiding their dyslexia from those around them for many, many years. They will always read slower than others, but as the Shaywitz’ discovered, giving them a little more time to figure out the printed word—be it a test or a manual or business proposal, can help them a great deal. If society can do what Dylan Redford (one charming young man with dyslexia in the film) recommends to his fellow dyslexics, “Just own it. Just totally own it,” we will all be much farther ahead.