Autism: The Musical takes us into the hearts and minds of children with autism and the parents who tirelessly support them. The kids are the draw in this earnest documentary, which strives to help us understand the wide spectrum of autism, and where each of these children falls uniquely within it.

More children are diagnosed with autism every year, and their parents struggle to find an economically-feasible strategy for educating them within school systems that are not always up to the task. Filmmaker Tricia Regan gives us intimate portraits of five children and their parents, as they spend six months in a theatre and film arts program called The Miracle Project. I watched in awe as these children evolved, finding their places within both musical rehearsals and the larger world.

As the project progresses, the kids thrive; but they also have breakdowns. During these, we share every moment of their experience, and witness their humanity. I felt like rooting for all of them, including a parent whose anxiety surrounding her kid’s performance triggered one such breakdown. In spite of such tensions, this film beautifully portrays how Hall, the parents, and their children are forgiving each other all of the time.

The film also depicts marriages falling apart, and this left me wondering just how many single mothers have the job of raising their autistic kids alone.

In spite of all difficulties, the kids prosper. Some learn how to stand still during the musical performance by holding their hands to their ears; another sings a solo with a smile that made me feel as if it was the first real smile I’d ever seen.

The film is being released nationally in a bid for an Academy Award. I had to scalp a ticket for the premiere here in San Francisco from an autism activist.

Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills & Nash fame, makes an appearance (one of his sons, Henry, is autistic, albeit an extremely bright child with a detailed knowledge of dinosaurs), and speaks about how he sees himself in his son. “I see similarities between how I was as a child,” he says smiling, “Which is why I put a guitar between me and the world.”