''The Story of Luke'' is a 2012 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film written and directed by Alonso Mayo. It is Mayo's first feature-length film and tells the story of Luke, a young man with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

who embarks on a quest for a job and a girlfriend. It stars

Lou Taylor Pucci Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Speci ...

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...

Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Robin Hood in '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in ...

and Kristin Bauer.

Cast

as Luke *

as Zack *

as Paul * Kristin Bauer as Cindy *

Kenneth Welsh Kenneth Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian film and television actor. He was best known as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle in ''Twin Peaks'', for his roles in the films ''The Day After Tomorrow'', '' Adoration'', ''Su ...

as Jonas * Tyler Stentiford as Brad * Mackenzie Munro as Megan * Sabryn Rock as Maria *

Lisa Ryder Lisa Ryder (born 26 October 1970) is a Canadian actress, who portrayed the role of Beka Valentine on the science fiction television series '' Andromeda''. Life and career Ryder was born in Edmonton, Alberta and attended the University of Tor ...

as Sara * Zoë Belkin as Charlene * Dewshane Williams as Sam *

Art Hindle Arthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director. Early life and education Hindle was born in Halifax. For 12 years, he alternated living with his divorced parents in addition to living in foster homes. He grew up in Bowmanville, and later at T ...

as Mr. Nichols * Michael Kinney as Counselor Bobby * John Boylan as Mr. Harrison

Production

Development

The film was inspired by director Alonso Mayo's experiences at Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú. While finishing his undergrad studies in film and journalism in Peru, Mayo helped produce a series of training videos for creating

supported employment Supported employment refers to service provisions wherein people with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, mental health, and traumatic brain injury, among others, are assisted with obtaining and maintaining employment. Supported e ...

programs and met many men and women with

and other

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. Later, while writing the screenplay for ''The Story of Luke'', Mayo returned to Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú on a research trip and shot the documentary ''Just Like Anyone''.

Filming

''The Story of Luke'' was produced by DViant Films and Fluid Film. Filming took place in

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 23 days in August and September 2011. To prepare for the role of Luke,

spent time with young men with

autism spectrum The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

disorders in Sault Ste. Marie.

Release

''The Story of Luke'' premiered at the 2012

San Diego Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...

, where it won Best Film. It has gone on to win over 20 film festival awards including Best Film at

San Antonio Film Festival The SAFILM – San Antonio Film Festival was founded in 1994 by Adam Rocha as a video festival, which sported a logo of a naughty-looking angel. It was later renamed the San Antonio Underground Film Festival and then finally the SAFILM – San An ...

Garden State Film Festival The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring. The festival was founded in 2002 in Sea Girt, New Jersey by D ...

and

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) is an American film festival held in San Luis Obispo, California. It is a six-day annual event, showcasing contemporary and classic film screenings at the historic Fremont Theater, the Pal ...

. It was released theatrically and on demand in the United States and Canada on April 5, 2013 by

Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an independent film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports and Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019, where it f ...

. It was released on DVD on August 6, 2013.

Reception

Autism community reception

''The Story of Luke'' received positive reviews from the

community, especially for

's portrayal of a man with autism.

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direct ...

columnist and autism advocate Chantal Sicile-Kira wrote, "Most parents of youths with autism will find this movie uplifting and encouraging—we all hope and wish our youths will be successful in finding employment and someone to love… Lou Taylor Pucci's portrayal of Luke is spot on. His manners, gestures and tone of voice feel authentic." The film also received the endorsement of advocacy organization

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is a controversial autism advocacy organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, an ...

. Leslie Long, Director of Housing and Adult Services wrote, "Luke transforms the people around him that were under the assumption they would be caring for him. This is not unique but not often discussed either. Most people have not had the pleasure of really knowing someone with autism in all facets of their lives so they miss the nuances of their humor or the effortless ways they tell the whole truth."

Critical reception

''The Story of Luke'' garnered mostly positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 80% approval rating based on 5 reviews. Mark Olsen of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote, "Mayo's script avoids turning Luke into some wise holy fool, allowing him to make missteps along the way... "The Story of Luke" is not a saga of epic proportions, but with a huge assist from Pucci's layered performance, takes a premise that could easily be movie-of-the-week sappy and finds a humanizing lightness." Daniel M. Gold of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote, "Mr. Pucci (“Thumbsucker,” “The Music Never Stopped”) gives a thoughtful and nuanced performance but gets few favors from the script, which puts him front and center in almost every scene... the film serves as a modest reminder that the challenges of autism may sometimes be no more daunting or fearsome than those that face anyone in search of an independent life." In a more mixed review, Chuck Wilson of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' called it "a charming little film in need of a bit more grit… Luke faces challenges, to be sure, both within himself and out in the world, but even the meanies at the office are only sitcom-mean. In the end, Luke's path to self-empowerment is funny and sweet and a little too easy."

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Story Of Luke 2012 films 2012 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American independent films 2010s English-language films Films about autism Films set in Michigan Films set in the 2010s Films shot in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 2012 directorial debut films 2012 independent films 2010s American films Films about disability