Where to find it: HBO Max (US) Disney+ (International)
What is it, in summary?: An awkward teenage boy named Duncan reluctantly goes on summer vacation with his mom, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Feeling disconnected from his mom and resentful of her boyfriend, Duncan finds solace the friendships he builds at a nearby water park.
What do you love about it?: To directly quote a text from one of my friends when they were halfway through this movie for the first time, "Your favorite movie has Sam Rockwell, found family, and an autistic coded protagonist? I'm floored." And yep!! Those are the vibes!! I adore Sam Rockwell's character, Owen -- he's precisely the kind of mentor that Duncan needs to pull him out of his shell -- and I adore the family that Duncan finds at the water park and the coming of age story that this movie becomes through the agency and growth that he finds with them. And yeah Duncan is autistic-coded af (and tbh I think he and Owen are the epitome of autistic/ADHD solidarity) and I think the portrayal there is one of the most realistic and relatable experiences I've ever seen on screen.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I'm going to ask for a few things! Duncan & Owen fic absolutely, but also Owen/Caitlin (Owen's love interest at the water park, played by Maya Rudolph). I also am planning to nominate Duncan's mom, Pam, in the hopes of either some fic where she and Duncan can work through some of the places where their relationship has broken down or perhaps fic that develops Pam's story beyond Duncan and her relationship with her shitty boyfriend.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The home life arc with Duncan, his mom, et al is almost entirely separate from the water park arc -- though they do all come together in the climactic scene of the film -- but the movie is structured very heavily around parallels between these two parts of Duncan's life, so tbh it should probably be consumed in its entirety.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): The mom's boyfriend employs several common emotional abuse tactics toward Duncan and the characters nearly get into a physical altercation in one scene
The Way Way Back (2013)
Media: Film
Approx length: 100 minutes
Where to find it:
HBO Max (US)
Disney+ (International)
What is it, in summary?:
An awkward teenage boy named Duncan reluctantly goes on summer vacation with his mom, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Feeling disconnected from his mom and resentful of her boyfriend, Duncan finds solace the friendships he builds at a nearby water park.
What do you love about it?:
To directly quote a text from one of my friends when they were halfway through this movie for the first time, "Your favorite movie has Sam Rockwell, found family, and an autistic coded protagonist? I'm floored." And yep!! Those are the vibes!! I adore Sam Rockwell's character, Owen -- he's precisely the kind of mentor that Duncan needs to pull him out of his shell -- and I adore the family that Duncan finds at the water park and the coming of age story that this movie becomes through the agency and growth that he finds with them. And yeah Duncan is autistic-coded af (and tbh I think he and Owen are the epitome of autistic/ADHD solidarity) and I think the portrayal there is one of the most realistic and relatable experiences I've ever seen on screen.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:
I'm going to ask for a few things! Duncan & Owen fic absolutely, but also Owen/Caitlin (Owen's love interest at the water park, played by Maya Rudolph). I also am planning to nominate Duncan's mom, Pam, in the hopes of either some fic where she and Duncan can work through some of the places where their relationship has broken down or perhaps fic that develops Pam's story beyond Duncan and her relationship with her shitty boyfriend.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?:
The home life arc with Duncan, his mom, et al is almost entirely separate from the water park arc -- though they do all come together in the climactic scene of the film -- but the movie is structured very heavily around parallels between these two parts of Duncan's life, so tbh it should probably be consumed in its entirety.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence):
The mom's boyfriend employs several common emotional abuse tactics toward Duncan and the characters nearly get into a physical altercation in one scene