My Feral Heart (2016)

My Feral Heart is a film that tells the story of a man with down syndrome and his journey after a very sad bereavement. It shows the audience life through the eyes of an extraordinary person, Luke.

Personally I feel that this film was absolutely amazing. Many people will watch and dislike it simply because we don't find out Luke's back story and the ending could be seen as non conclusive. This frustrates me as I can see the true meaning behind this film. The fact that the ending wasn't tied up or the characters didn't get more thorough character arcs doesn't matter. This film was made to show the love and care Luke has for the world. He starts the story losing someone very close to him but doesn't give up and get depressed, he gets sent to a care home but he clearly doesn't deserve to be there. When Luke is on his travels around the care home he comes across a girl in a field with barbed wire around her leg. He knows nothing of her, yet still he hides her in a barn, brings her food, bathes her and gives her clothes. Although he knows nothing about her he still keeps looking after her and deprives himself of warmth just to save this feral girl. He becomes very close to her and it portrays so many messages to the audience about how small acts of kindness can change someones life. The modern society that we live in would look down upon an adult male bathing and caring for a child that is clearly feral as it would be seen as indecent. This bond between Luke and the feral girl really sends a message to society about how a genuinely kind and caring friendship between a man and an child can happen and be completely innocent.

There is another main character in the story, Pete, who meets Luke and the two develop a strong friendship. We don't learn a lot about Pete's story yet it is easy to workout what has happened to him, he carries the guilt of his late brother as he feels that he could have saved him. This becomes very apparent throughout the film and we see him "redeem" himself in the sane situation but with Luke. The film finishes at this point but I feel that it was a fitting end for Pete's character arc.

The main message that I felt was very important in the film was the representation of Down Syndrome. Many people unfortunately mock the genetic disorder. In My Feral Heart the audience are given the opportunity to understand that people that have the disorder are some of the most caring, loving people who deserve the up-most respect. I do think that this film will really raise awareness for Down Syndrome because I cannot personally name another film that I have seen that has a main character with the disorder.

Overall, I think that this film was beautifully made and I really appreciate the messages that it gives.