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Temple Grandin (film)

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Temple Grandin
Film poster
GenreBiographical drama
Based onEmergence
by Temple Grandin
Margaret Scariano
Thinking in Pictures
by Temple Grandin
Screenplay by
Directed byMick Jackson
Starring
Music byAlex Wurman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerScott Ferguson
CinematographyIvan Strasburg
EditorLeo Trombetta
Running time107 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseFebruary 6, 2010 (2010-02-06)

Temple Grandin is a 2010 American biographical drama television film directed by Mick Jackson and starring Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, an autistic woman whose innovations revolutionized practices for the humane handling of livestock on cattle ranches and slaughterhouses. It is based on Grandin's memoirs Emergence and Thinking in Pictures.

The biopic was inspired by executive producer Emily Gerson Saines, whose experience as the mother of an autistic child motivated her to share Temple Grandin’s story. She secured Grandin’s approval in the late 1990s but faced years of setbacks before the project came to fruition. After several creative shifts, the film was directed by Mick Jackson, with Claire Danes cast as Grandin. Danes immersed herself in the role, studying Grandin’s work and spending time with her to capture her unique persona. Filmed in Texas in 2008, the production emphasized authenticity, even involving Grandin in key moments.

Premiering on HBO on February 6, 2010, the film earned widespread acclaim for its heartfelt and authentic portrayal. Critics praised its ability to make Grandin’s autism relatable and her perspective on livestock psychology deeply compelling. Claire Danes’ performance received particular acclaim for its depth and precision, avoiding sentimentality while portraying Grandin’s growth with nuance. The film’s avoidance of clichés and its thoughtful direction, evocative score, and visuals were widely lauded. Temple Grandin was celebrated as an inspiring, meticulously crafted biopic that offered a rare and moving glimpse into an extraordinary life and mind. It won several awards including five Primetime Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild prizes for Danes.

Plot

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Temple Grandin is an uncommunicative child who is prone to meltdowns and is diagnosed with autism. The medical consensus at that time was that autism was a form of schizophrenia resulting from insufficient maternal affection. Despite recommendations to place her in an institution, Temple's mother hires therapists and works to help her daughter adapt to social interaction.

As a teenager, Temple travels to her aunt and uncle's ranch to work. She observes cows being placed into a squeeze chute to calm them, and, during an anxiety attack, she uses the chute to calm herself. Inspired by her teacher, Dr. Carlock, to pursue science, she is admitted to Franklin Pierce College where she develops an early version of the squeeze machine to calm herself during stressful times. Her college misinterprets the use of the machine as a sexual act and forces her to remove it. In response, she develops a scientific protocol to test subjects' reactions to the machine, proving it to be a purely therapeutic device. Temple graduates with a degree in psychology and pursues a master's degree in animal science.

Temple faces sexism while attempting to integrate into the world of cattle ranching but ultimately designs a new dip structure designed to allow cattle to voluntarily move through rather than being forced. Initially, the device works as intended, and garners favorable coverage in local press, but the ranch hands are dismissive of her design and alter it, resulting in the drowning of several cows. Angered, Temple visits Dr. Carlock, and leaves the meeting encouraged to continue her efforts to improve the industry and start her own slaughterhouse.

Several days after visiting Dr. Carlock, Temple gets a call from her mother revealing that he has died. Later, while shopping, Temple meets a woman named Betty whose husband works for a slaughterhouse. Temple meets with Betty's husband at the slaughterhouse and explains her plan for the layout of the slaughterhouse. Her idea is tested, and works.

Years later, in 1981, Temple arrives at the National Autism Convention and shares her story.

Cast

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  • Claire Danes as Temple Grandin
  • Catherine O'Hara as Aunt Ann, Temple's aunt by marriage. As a teenager, Temple often visited her Arizona cattle ranch during the summer.
  • Julia Ormond as Eustacia Cutler, Temple's mother. When Temple was younger, Eustacia was in denial over the doctor's diagnosis of Temple's autism. Eustacia was determined to have her daughter receive an education and lead a normal life.
  • David Strathairn as Dr. Carlock, Temple's boarding school science teacher and mentor. Carlock was aware of Temple's visual skills and was supportive in furthering her education.
  • Charles Baker as Billy, a worker at Aunt Ann's farm.
  • Barry Tubb as Randy

Production

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Development

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The idea for a biopic of Grandin originated with its executive producer Emily Gerson Saines, a successful talent agent and a co-founder of the nonprofit Autism Coalition for Research and Education (now part of Autism Speaks). In the mid-1990s, Gerson Saines was a vice-president at the William Morris Agency when her 2-year-old son was diagnosed with autism. She learned about Grandin soon afterward, when her mother told her about seeing Grandin's book Thinking in Pictures in a bookstore and, around the same time, her grandmother independently sent her an article about Grandin by Oliver Sacks.[1]

Reading about Grandin renewed Gerson Saines' "energy, motivation and spirit" in coping with her son's condition. "Temple's story brought me hope and (her mother)'s story gave me direction and purpose", Gerson Saines said in a later interview. "Parents of a child with autism everywhere need to hear it, functionally and spiritually. I knew this story had to be told and given my access as a talent representative in the entertainment industry, I felt it was my responsibility to make that happen." Through Grandin's agent, Gerson Saines asked to meet Grandin for lunch. "She came in wearing her cowgirl shirt—in her very Temple way, in her very Temple walk. I realized that there were people staring at her, and in a different lifetime I might have been one of them, but all I could think of was, 'I can't believe how lucky I am to be here. This woman's my hero.'"[1][2]

Grandin was familiar with Gerson Saines' work with the Autism Coalition and granted her permission to make the film, but the endeavor—first launched in the late 1990s—would take more than ten years to come to fruition.[1][3] Variety reported in 2002 that David O. Russell was attached to direct the film from a screenplay by W. Merritt Johnson (adapting from Grandin's memoirs Emergence and Thinking in Pictures).[4] Russell later dropped out and was replaced by Moisés Kaufman, who also left the project. By 2008, Mick Jackson had signed on to direct, and Claire Danes was in negotiations to star as Grandin. Johnson's script had been replaced by one from Christopher Monger (both Johnson and Monger are credited as writers of the finished film).[1][5]

One element Gerson Saines was sure about from the beginning was that she wanted to work with HBO, in part because of her longstanding relationship with the network through her work as an agent. "But I also knew that by going that route, more people will see it", she said. "When you're trying to make a movie like this, it's very rare that it reaches a wide audience." HBO was equally intrigued by the story, and Gerson Saines credits past and present HBO executives with keeping the project alive until it could be properly realized. "I made a commitment to Temple that I was going to make it and make it right...I never pushed to get it made until now, because now we got it right."[1][5]

Jackson knew early on that Danes was his first choice to portray Grandin, believing that Danes' seriousness and dedication would help her to capture Grandin's mercurial mental and emotional shifts without veering the film into disease-of-the-week melodrama. Danes herself was coming off a string of more lightweight roles (whose "primary job and experience [was] to become gaga over a man", she described) and eager to take on a more demanding part. Although she was only vaguely aware of Grandin at the time, Danes dove into research, including watching documentaries about Grandin and studying Grandin's books and recordings. "It was really daunting, because she's alive and has a great eye for detail", Danes said. The two women spent about six hours together in Danes' apartment, ending with a hug from Grandin ("For her, that's not easy", Danes observed), which Danes was glad to take as validation that Grandin approved of her for the role.[6]

Filming

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Temple Grandin began shooting on 22 October 2008 at Austin Studios in Austin, Texas.[7][3][8] The film was noted for filming in Texas at a time when TV and film production had grown scarce in the state, and legislators were seeking to expand financial incentives to draw more film crews. Grandin producer Scott Ferguson said that Arizona, New Mexico and Canada had all been considered before producers had chosen Texas, in part because different areas of the state could be used to represent the rural West and New England. Ferguson also credited the abundance of trained film crews in the Austin and Dallas regions as a significant benefit to shooting in the area.[9] Cinematographer Ivan Strasburg shot the film on Kodak Super 16 mm film stocks with Arriflex 416 cameras, which were usually operated hand-held to "create a 'slight' feeling of visual tension."[10]

Gerson Saines brought Grandin to observe the last day of shooting, which was a scene involving a cattle dip tank that Grandin had designed.[1][6] Although Grandin said that she tried to stay away from Danes to avoid impinging on her performance, she was quite concerned about the proper construction of the tank and about the breed of cattle being used in the scene. "I thought, we can't have a silly thing like that City Slickers movie, where they had Holstein cattle out there", Grandin said. "If you know anything about cattle, you'd know that was stupid." She said watching Danes on the monitors was "like going back in a weird time machine to the '60s."[6]

Release

[edit]

The film was previewed on January 27 at the Gene Siskel Film Center, in a screening attended by Grandin.[11] A trailer was previewed for critics during their winter press tour on January 14; critics responded positively to "the film's bright palette and inventive direction."[12] HBO and bookstore chain Barnes & Noble partnered to promote both the film and Grandin's books, displaying information about autism and the film in all Barnes & Noble stores and creating a free downloadable coloring book about Grandin, using illustrations by autistic artists. Grandin appeared for a special book signing, discussion and preview of the film at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble on January 25.[13] The film debuted on February 6, 2010.

Reception

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Critical response

[edit]
Emily Gerson Saines, Temple Grandin and Mick Jackson at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards

Temple Grandin received a Metacritic score of 84/100 based on reviews from 19 critics.[14] Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 100% approval rating based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A heartfelt glimpse into Temple Grandin's mind, this engrossing biopic reaches its full potential thanks to Claire Danes' unsentimental performance."[15]

Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Armstrong wrote: "The beauty of [the film] is that it makes the title character's autism—and the unique insight it gave her into livestock psychology—relatable to anyone with a heart, and fascinating to anyone with a brain. The fact that it does so with such a singular story only makes the movie that much greater."[16]

Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times called it "A made for-television biopic that avoids the mawkish clichés of the genre without draining the narrative of color and feeling. Ms. Danes is completely at ease in her subject's lumbering gait and unmodulated voice. She makes Temple's anxiety as immediate and contagious as her rarer bursts of merriment... And as the character ages and learns more social graces, Ms. Danes seamlessly captures Temple's progress."[17]

Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote that unlike many other HBO productions, "Temple is an incredibly joyous and often humorous film." While praising the direction and the strong supporting cast of Catherine O'Hara, David Strathairn, and Julia Ormond, Bianco declared that "as good as everything is around them, Temple Grandin belongs to two women: the real Temple, who appears to be a spectacular human being, and Danes, who is clearly a spectacular actor."[18]

The A.V. Club's Noel Murray, himself the father of an autistic son, wrote: "Some of the movie's aesthetic choices border on the cliché. The pulsing minimalism of Alex Wurman's score has become as much a shorthand for 'intellectual mystery' as Arabic wailing has for 'Danger! Terrorists!,' and Temple Grandin's illustrative animated sequences run a little too close to A Beautiful Mind for my taste." Murray gives the film a grade A−, in part for Danes' success in portraying Grandin as a full-fledged personality instead of "a checklist of symptoms gleaned from a medical journal."[19]

NPR's David Bianculli unambiguously named the film "The best tele-movie of the past several years... I can't praise this movie highly enough. It's not maudlin or sentimental, but it is excitingly inspirational. It scores big emotional points with very small touches, the sound of a heartbeat, a tentative touch, a victorious smile. The acting, writing, directing, production values, every sight and every sound in HBO's Temple Grandin is perfect."[20]

Accolades

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2010
 Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series David Rubin and Richard Hicks Nominated [21]
Golden Nymph Awards Best Television Film Nominated [22]
Best Direction Mick Jackson Nominated
Outstanding Actress Claire Danes Nominated
AMADE-UNESCO Prize Won
Hollywood Post Alliance Awards Outstanding Color Grading – Television Kevin O'Connor Nominated [23]
Humanitas Prize 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson Won [24]
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated [25]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Claire Danes Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Julia Ormond Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Mick Jackson Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Non-Series Won
Best Editing in a Non-Series Nominated
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series Won
Best Music in a Non-Series Nominated
Best Sound in a Non-Series Nominated
Best Visual Effects in a Non-Series Nominated
Peabody Awards A Ruby Films, Gerson Saines Production
in association with HBO Films 		Won [26]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Emily Gerson Saines, Gil Bellows,
Anthony Edwards, Dante Di Loreto, Paul Lister,
Alison Owen, and Scott Ferguson 		Won [27]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Claire Danes Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie David Strathairn Won
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Catherine O'Hara Nominated
Julia Ormond Won
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Mick Jackson Won
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Richard Hoover, Meghan C. Rogers, and
Gabriella Villarreal 		Nominated
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special David Rubin, Richard Hicks, and Beth Sepko Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie Geordie Sheffer and Charles Yusko Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Design Michael Riley, Zee Nederlander, Dru Nget, and
Bob Swensen 		Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Tarra D. Day and Meredith Johns Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
(Original Dramatic Score) 		Alex Wurman Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie Leo Trombetta Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Bryan Bowen, Vanessa Lapato, Paul Curtis,
Petra Bach, Bruce Tanis, Ellen Segal,
David Lee Fein, and Hilda Hodges 		Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Won [28]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Claire Danes Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television David Strathairn Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Catherine O'Hara Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials Nominated [29]
Women Film Critics Circle Awards Best Theatrically Unreleased Movie by or About Women Won [30]
Women's Image Network Awards Actress in a Mini-Series / Made for Television Movie Claire Danes Won [31]
2011
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television Leo Trombetta Won [32]
American Film Institute Awards Top 10 Television Programs Won [33]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and
Mini-Series 		Ethan Andrus and Rick Ash Won [34]
Costume Designers Guild Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries Cindy Evans Won [35]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Picture Made for Television Nominated [36]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries Mick Jackson Won [37]
Dorian Awards TV Drama Performance of the Year Claire Danes Nominated [38]
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [39]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Claire Danes Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television David Strathairn Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television Bryan Bowen, Vanessa Lapato, Petra Bach, and
Paul Curtis 		Nominated [40]
Best Sound Editing - Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television Bryan Bowen, Bruce Tanis, David Lee Fein, and
Hilda Hodges 		Nominated
Gracie Awards Outstanding Female Lead – Drama Claire Danes Won [41]
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Best Music Supervision for Movie of the Week Evyen Klean[a] Won
Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Gil Bellows, Scott Ferguson, Emily Gerson Saines,
Paul Lister, and Alison Owen 		Nominated [42]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Claire Danes Won [43]
Catherine O'Hara Nominated
Julia Ormond Nominated
Western Heritage Awards Television Feature Film Won [44]
Western Writers of America Awards Best Western Drama Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson Won[b] [45]
Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Adapted Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson;
Based on the books:
- Emergence by Temple Grandin and Margaret Scariano
- Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin 		Nominated [46]

Notes

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  1. ^ Also for The Pacific, The Special Relationship and You Don't Know Jack.
  2. ^ Tied with Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "HBO Producer Emily Gerson Saines". Westchester Magazine. January 22, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  2. ^ "Emily Gerson Saines: 'I Live With Autism 24/7.'" Celebrity Baby Scoop, 2010-02-05.
  3. ^ a b Austin Screens: Film News. AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved on 2011-01-04.
  4. ^ Grego, Melissa (March 12, 2002). "Animal magnetism at HBO". Variety. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  5. ^ a b James Hibberd (January 14, 2010). "Claire Danes circles autism biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Lyman, Rick. "No More Crushes; This Is Serious." The New York Times, 29 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Temple Grandin - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro".
  8. ^ Print an Article. Austin Chronicle (2008-12-26). Retrieved on 2011-01-04.
  9. ^ Dawn, Randee (October 29, 2008). "Made in Texas". Archived from the original on March 29, 2009.
  10. ^ Fisher, Bob (November 20, 2009). "Temple Grandin on HBO". HighDef Magazine. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  11. ^ suntimes. suntimes. Retrieved on 2011-01-04.
  12. ^ "HBO high on fantasy 'Game of Thrones'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010.
  13. ^ "'Temple Grandin': View a trailer from the upcoming film". Drovers.com. 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  14. ^ "Temple Grandin". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  15. ^ "Temple Grandin". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Armstrong, Jennifer (January 27, 2010). "Temple Grandin". EW.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  17. ^ Stanley, Alessandra. "Peering Into a Mind That's 'Different, but Not Less'." The New York Times, 4 February 2010.
  18. ^ Bianco, Robert. "Claire Danes grand in HBO's 'Temple Grandin' biopic." USA Today, 7 February 2010.
  19. ^ Murray, Noel (February 7, 2010). "Temple Grandin". AV Club. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  20. ^ Bianculli, David (February 5, 2010). "Temple Grandin: The woman who talks to animals". NPR. Archived from the original on December 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "2010 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  22. ^ "2010 Golden Nymph Awards Winners" (PDF). Golden Nymph Awards. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  23. ^ "2010 HPA Awards". Hollywood Professional Association. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  25. ^ "14th Annual TV Awards (2009-10)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  26. ^ "Temple Grandin". Peabody Awards. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  27. ^ "Temple Grandin". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  28. ^ "2010 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. International Press Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  29. ^ "The Television Critics Association Announces 2010 TCA Awards Nominees". Television Critics Association. June 4, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  30. ^ "Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2010". Women Film Critics Circle. December 17, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  31. ^ "Glee, Claire Danes, Sally Hawkins, Jane Lynch, Susan Sarandon, Maggie Smith et al. Receive WIN Nominations". TheaterMania.com. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  32. ^ Finke, Nikki (February 19, 2011). "'Social Network' Wins Best Edited Award". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "AFI Awards 2010". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  34. ^ "Cinema Audio Society's Sound Awards". Deadline Hollywood. 6 January 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  35. ^ "13th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  36. ^ Knox, David (January 16, 2011). "The Pacific wins at Critic's Choice Awards". TV Tonight. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  37. ^ "63rd DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  38. ^ "Dorian Awards Past Winners". Dorian Awards. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  39. ^ "Temple Grandin – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  40. ^ "2011 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  41. ^ "2011 Gracies Gala Winners". Gracie Awards. 5 October 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  42. ^ Goldberg, Matt (January 4, 2011). "Producers Guild Award Nominees Announced". Collider. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  43. ^ "The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  44. ^ "Temple Grandin". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  45. ^ "Winners – Western Writers of America". Western Writers of America. 12 May 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  46. ^ "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2011 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
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