Son-Rise - A Miracle of Love (1979)
Director:
Glenn Jordan
Writers:
Barry Neil Kaufman (book), Stephen Kandel (teleplay)Stars:
James Farentino, Kathryn Harrold, Stephen Elliott
Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love is the true story of Barry and Suzi Kaufman and their autistic 3-year-old son Ruan. The boy is high-functioning but erratic, with long periods of hyperactivity followed by lengthy interludes of withdrawal. The "experts" give up, but the Kaufmans don't. They decide to monitor their son 24 hours a day to figure out what makes him tick, to discern his likes and dislikes, and to try to find some means of breaking into his nearly impenetrable private world. The superlative performances of James Farentino and Kathryn Harrold as the Kaufmans are matched by the portrayal of Ruan by twin child actors Michael and Casey Adams (the grandchildren of famed film director King Vidor). Son-Rise: A Miracle of Love was originally telecast as an "NBC Theater" presentation, as part of the network's 1978 "Year of the Child" celebration.
