Movie Synopsis - Temple Grandin

Movie Review - Temple Grandin
Movie Trailer - Temple Grandin

The biography film started off with Temple Grandin (Claire Danes) visiting her aunt for the summer and worked on her ranch. Temple was fascinated by a device that hugs the cows to calm them down. One day, while feeling anxious, Temple put herself in the device and it calmed her down immediately.

When Temple first attended college, she was very nervous. Temple felt very anxious the moment she entered her dorm. Knowing her, her mother, Eustacia (Julia Ormond) gave Temple space by closing the door. As she close the door, her mother had a flashback to when Temple was still small and always had tantrums. Temple was diagnosed with classic autism, which she always spaced out, lacking of eye contact, no language, always avoiding human affection and rejecting touch or hugs.

At that time, autism was regarded as a form of schizophrenia. Mothers were blamed as the cause of the disorder. Mothers of autistic children were accused of being cold to their autistic child. They were nicknamed the "refrigerator mothers". The specialist suggested to place Temple in an institution but her mother refused to listen.  She spent her life helping Temple to adapt to the world. Her mother got Temple a speech therapist that helped her to acquire language by doing one to one therapy.

During Temple's college years, she designed a squeze machine for herself. She had a sensory integration dysfunction and disliked physical affection by people. She found out that the machine hugs her to calm her down. She can control the pressure, and it helped her to relax whenever she tensed up.

The school found out about the machine and forced Temple to remove it. The school claimed that it was some kind of sexual machine. The school threw it away. Later, Temple and her aunt came to school to persuade the school to let her use the machine. Temple did a study on the machine and manage to proof that the machine was only a calming device. She was allowed to keep it and she used it for self-calming every now and then.

Later on, the movie flashed back to Temple when she got into Hampshire Country School. She was expelled from her previous high school because she used a book to hit the child that disturbed her. While she was there, she met a supportive teacher, Dr. Carlock. He encouraged her to go further her studies into science in college and eventually became a career.

Temple graduated from college and became a worker at a ranch. She rebuilt a new dip, and altered a slaughterhouse for cows so that it is much more humane. The film ended with Temple and her mother attended an autism fair convention. Temple spoke to the crowd and told the audience on the difficulties she faced and how she overcame it to achieve academically. She also mentioned that her mother helped her with the everyday world. Everyone was so fascinated by her speech. She was invited to speak in front of the auditorium.

Movie Review - Temple Grandin
Movie Trailer - Temple Grandin