When Time Got Louder

The focus ofWhen Time Got Louder isn’t lesbianism per se. Though that is an element of the story. Mostly though, this is a story about an even less represented group that comes with an even higher level of difficulty when depicting on film. When Time Got Louder is about a family with a high needs autistic child. That’s the core of the story and also very much what makes this film unique.

20 year-old Abbie Peterson’s 17 year-old brother, Kayden has autism. As you can imagine, this impacts the family’s life on a day-to-day basis. Abbie’s mother, Tish provides most of the care for Kayden. Meanwhile, Tish’s husband, Mark provides most of the family’s finances. Abbie and Kayden share a close bond, and Abbie is Kayden’s closest friend. It is therefore a major upset when Abbie is accepted on scholarship to a prestigious animation programme in California. Intercut with Abbie’s first taste of living on her own and experiencing college life are scenes of how the family back home struggle more without her. All of this leads to an incident landing Kayden in the hospital and a social worker interviewing the family members.

Regrettably, autism has a long history of being inaccurately portrayed on film. The impetus of When Time Got Louder seems very much to be depicting this often inaccurately or untold story. This is writer/director Connie Cocchia’s debut film. And while some elements of storytelling are rough around the edges, the heart of the film stays strong. The film manages to show the daily challenges of a family with an autistic child without casting any character as a “villain.” This is a family doing their best, and generally, getting by. They are all imperfect. But the film has such sympathy for every person in this situation. That balance of sympathy for the characters is a major thing that sets this film apart.

The film additionally benefits from a solid series of performances. Even as a child actor, Willow Shields always had an innate sense of maturity to her. So, this role of a young woman who grew up with this additional responsibility is something she plays very well. Elizabeth Mitchell and Lochlyn Munroe also provide good performances as caring, trying parents at the end of their rope. But of all the performances, Jonathan Simeo as Kayden stands out. Simeo is in the spectrum himself, though with lower support needs than Kayden. This casting was a wise move. Non-autistic actors playing autistic characters is dicey at the best of times. A huge amount of care is taken in Kayden’s character and Simeo’s performance. After so many years of overtly offensive autistic performances, this one stands out as being much closer to reality and with infinitely more care taken in its realization.

The weakest aspect of the film is probably Abbie’s romance with her college girlfriend, Karly. The relationship primarily develops in quick spurts of montage with pop music overlaying it. And Karly doesn’t get to develop much as a character. She’s there to be the concept of a first girlfriend, not a full character. So, her character reacts accordingly to what the story requires to move it along. But again, this film isn’t really a lesbian romance. Abbie’s sexuality is hardly an issue. She hasn’t come out to her parents, as she doesn’t want to offer them additional stress or worry. But as she says, this is basically the same as if she had a boyfriend. Abbie’s arc is queer. But more than that, it’s about her developing independence and interests outside of her household and the care of her brother.

While elements such as the use of non-linear storytelling to front-load the drama in the film belie that this is Cocchia’s first film, it is an impressive debut. When Time Got Louder balances heart and actual knowledge and care in the depiction of a family with an autistic child. The solid centre means that even in the moments when the film flounders, the sum total of the film is successful. This is an emotional, heartfelt debut that’s a great addition to sapphic films that have gone beyond the boundaries of just being about “lesbian issues.” Abbie’s sexuality is part of a larger story about an even less frequently represented group of people.

Overall rating: 6.5/10

Other WLW films in similar genres