Inspired by interviews of people with autism spectrum disorder, four students at MoPA in Arles, France, translate the quirks and isolation of eight-year-old Louis into a crowd-pleaser that found massive success on the festival circuit.

Co-directors Marion Philippe, Ka Yu Leung, Jean-Géraud Blanc, Théo Jamin: “What drives us to construct this film is the extraordinary way autistic people have of seeing the world, which makes us ask questions back to what we have accepted in daily life without any second thought.

“Like most of our social conventions, if we ever take some time to reflect on them, we might easily find some absurdities (e.g., what does waving hands mean in a greeting?)

What drives us to construct this film is the extraordinary way autistic people have of seeing the world

“We believe the best way to illustrate this paradox is to present a world of everyday life directly and literally from the vision of Louis.

“The shoes have a very specific place in our story. They serve as the centerpiece of each plot and a thread that links all events to one another. For Louis, his shoes are his bearings of the world. He has all his specific daily rituals with his shoes so as to feel more at ease.

“This ritual is also inspired by our interviews, the fact that people with autism have more self-stimulation behaviors, meaning any repetitive body or object movement. It is believed that these behaviors offer the child a gratifying sensory input and helps them to regulate their energy and endure the sensory environment ( the noise, the smell, the crowd).

“We also adore the symbolism of this ritual with shoes since the shoes represent walking, a path to go through, a journey that Louis brings us to by putting us into his shoes.

“This film only captured a fragment of Louis’ life, he will have plenty of challenges to overcome after the film ends but Louis’ shoes are always going to be there for him.”
 

 
School: Ecole MoPA
Director: Marion Philippe, Ka Yu Leung, Jean-Géraud Blanc, Théo Jamin

Original score: Lolita Del Pino
Voice over: Ronan Guilloux

Distributor: François Heiser for Yummy Films