Mark Haddon..Coming Down the Mountain

[ellisisamazing]

The first screenplay from Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time) features Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, Skins) as teenager David and life couldn't be better.....the only fly in the ointment is his older 17yr old brother Ben (Tommy Jessop), who has Down's Syndrome.

 

The Family's world revolves around Ben's needs while David's are unwittingly neglected by their parents. They decide to move the family from London to the "back of beyond" for the sake of Ben's education. David loses love, friends and his school. His antipathy to Ben grows and grows to the point where he decides to push him off a mountain, and get rid of him once and for all.

 

The drama takes the two boys on a journey to the dangerous and strange wilderness of Snowdonia.

 

Mark Haddons says, " I began writing 'Coming down the mountain' with the idea of writing a meaty role for a young actor with Down's Syndrome.

 

"It ended up as a film about the stuff of every teenagers life....love, sex, friends, school, depression, anxiety, parents, parties, siblings, mountains, murder, ice cream, Darth Vader and nipple rings!"

 

Coming down the mountain looks at a family unit where one child is different - but which child? And it challenges the causes - but to which child?

[Guest Lya of the Nox]

my son has pointed this out to me and is thinkin of watchin it

x

[dooday24]

sounds good will hav 2 try and watch it if i remember got a brain like a seive lol

love donnaxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[ellisisamazing]

I will bump this thread a few hours before as a reminder, Dooday!

 

Just for your sieve!

[sandyn]

I for one am looking fwd to seeing this.e

[lil_me]

Been on the timer since I seen the advert, just hope we're back on time to see it.

[stressedmumto2]

Going to try and watch this one. I often worry about the affects of my son's SN and the effect that may have on his sister. A friend of mine who has two autistic brothers had to have some councelling in her 20's, she is much happier now but it has taken time and in many ways a very different childhood, she is happy now and very positive about her future and that of her brothers. <'>

[Cariad]

Thanks for that, have set it on my sky +

[hev]

thanks for that,im gonna watch it

[lil_me]

Anyone else had a tear in their eye yet ?

 

Suppose it's one of those reality checks as to how much pressure siblings of children with a disability of any sort have put on them sometimes, definately making me think

[ellisisamazing]

It's made me smile, cry and snort with laughter!

 

Brilliant! Mark Haddon is a genius, and the two main characters are so well cast!

 

Yes, it does make you see both sides of the picture.

Edited September 2, 2007 by ellisisamazing

[pumpkinpie]

Brilliant.

I recognised a lot of myself in the parents and the kind of things I say to my oldest child.

If only school, social services, even family would see that there is so much pressure on our families and how little things could really help ie respite, offering to take them out, etc. It makes such a difference.

In our area they sent out a leaflet to my oldest about a sibling group but really it was years too late(aimed at a younger age group ) and to be honest was a bit patronising. Its hard enough being a teenager but our kids have so much more responsibility placed on them - iI KNOW i do as she often can handle little p much better than her teachers, other family memebers etc

[ellisisamazing]

I loved it all, but I really loved the line towards the end from the NT son David, "Ben is the most normal one in this family!"

 

It was well done, not sugarcoated, it was real. Even my Hubby shed a few tears!

 

And the understanding between the two brothers at the end was brilliant.

Edited September 3, 2007 by ellisisamazing

[Mumble]

I loved it all, but I really loved the line towards the end from the NT son David, "Ben is the most normal one in this family!"

That was my favourite line too! I just wish I could get my mum to watch things like this. Our situation is both very similar put also very different. I think I was particularly struck (and please no-one take offence) by how the parents did everything for Ben and thought he couldn't do anything and how that then transferred into what Ben thought he could do - as in the not being able to help in putting up the tent. My older brother (ASD) had everything done for him as a young child and was swiftly institutionalised where again everything has been done for him and all decisions have been made for him. Without belitteling his difficulties, I have always maintained that he could do much much more if he was given the opportunities and the support to do more. We were very much the other way round to this family though in that it is my sister (the only NT of the lot of us!!!) who has always been the favoured one and the one who has got all the attention - and yes, if I'm honest it does make me angry although now she's older we talk about this more and joke about her being 'oh favoured one', put it does get to me sometimes.

[pearl]

I enjoyed it too, laughed at the bit where the Downs lad said to his friend, David can be very strange sometimes!

 

S used to go to a siblings group at Barnardos & loved it, said it was the only place she could express negative feelings & not be judged. Her other friends only saw JP's cuteness.

 

I do think our NT children get short changed, I wish I hadnt had to rely on S so much but there was no one else & it was that or go under. I just said, we are a family & we are all in this together. And I used to take her away for weekends to give her quality time. Bottom line, we all do the best we can in our differing circumstances.

[Pets74]

missed it. is it repeated does anyone know?

[LizK]

It was great. Very well written and dramatised. Loved how your sympathy with the different characters changed throughout the film and how at the end it wasn't just that the parents had not been giving David enough time and attention but how too they had been babying Ben. Made me think as I think I could end up babying DS1 if I'm not careful and that is not a good thing. It was thought provoking too, made me realise how it's so important that children with SENs get enough input and support, not only for their benefit but for the benefit of the family and sibling but equally that that intervention should not be at the detriment of the other brothers and sisters. I frequently worry about my youngest son and would completely hate for him to grow up resenting his older brother for stopping him doing things or feel less important or pushed out by us. They get on really well now which is a start but I do wonder how he will be when he's a self conscious stroppy hormonal 14 year old?

 

Lx

[josie h]

We watched it as well. My hbbie wasn't too sure, but my 14 year old daughter loved it. I think she realy related to the characters and could also see herself in some of it. I must say she has been much better with C today, seemed more understanding. Not too sure how long it will last though!

[forbsay]

I recorded this on skyplus so will watch it sometime........

 

Forbsay

[Cariad]

It was briliant! I wanted to blubb all the way through it, I felt for the brother of the downs boy so much! Also I could see myself in the parents too, (not as much). It made me realise not to put too much pressure on DS's sisters, they have a life too..

[lynyona]

I missed it ive been trying to look to see if its repeated anywhere but havent found it as yet i thought BBC3 might have repeated it