Here We Are - Review 

Rating: 5 out of 5

ISRAELI- Italian drama Here We Are is a moving and insightful road movie about a father and son dealing with autism.

It partly draws on the personal experience of screenwriter Dana Idisis, who previously explored the theme in a series called On the Spectrum for Israeli TV.

And it feels every inch a film rooted in that most valuable of assets: lived experience. Hence, its depiction of autism feels authentic and accurate, lending the film an even greater emotional depth that should move people to tears come its quietly potent ending.

The story follows the intense relationship between father Aharon (Shai Avivi) and his son Uri (Noam Imber), a young man in his 20s, who is autistic.

It is clear from the outset that Uri is wholly dependent on his father, often asking to be reminded of whether he likes something, or checking to see whether his father has cracked a joke. Uri himself is very attached to his routines, resistant to eat much apart from pasta stars and obsessed with watching Charlie Chaplin films on his portable DVD player.

He needs his Dad for guidance, finding the outside world noisy and overwhelming - even though the two regularly go for train and cycle rides.

Uri’s mother Tamara (Smadi Wolfman) no longer lives with them but can see that Uri needs to be around peers and learn how to live semi-independently, if only to help him prepare for a time when Aharon and Tamara themselves won’t be around. She has found an assisted living facility that’s willing to take Uri in and is seeking Aharon’s help in preparing Uri to make the transition.

But it quickly becomes apparent that father and son have become co-dependent; that Aharon - a former graphic designer who has clearly given up his career to devote his life to caring for Uri - is struggling as much to let Uri go as Uri is to actually leave the safety of his father’s home.

When the move becomes imminent, the two of them end up on the run, travelling across Israel in a bid to buy time or escape to a new life together.

Nir Bergman directs the ensuing road trip in a minimalist style that is also beautifully understated. There aren’t really any grandstanding sequences; rather everyday challenges for Uri and Aharon to navigate that become all the more difficult given Uri’s autism.

By doing so, the film shines a light on what it is like to both live with autism and to care for someone who is autistic. It does so with empathy and compassion, while also showing wider society’s misunderstanding of it and occasional critique of it.

When Uri suffers a meltdown at a station and begins screaming and kicking out, passers-by look on in judgement and horror, while others refer to super powers and hidden abilities that past on-screen depictions of autism - such as Rain Man - have amplified.

The film also examines the strains placed on family relationships (again, created by judgements) and the loneliness that can sometimes accompany living with autism, especially if you feel misunderstood by those closest to you.

Avivi gives a beautiful performance as Aharon, tapping into the hurt and confusion of his father as he tries to help others see things from his and Uri’s perspective. His love for his son is never in doubt. But there’s an inner struggle always going on about what’s best for him. There’s so much nuance.

Imber is also great as Uri, never once hitting any false notes, while Wolfman is also terrific as Uri’s mum - equally as determined to do the right thing for her son, while making difficult choices. She could easily have been caricatured as the ‘villain’ of the piece; but instead brings nuance and grace.

But then Bergman is no stranger to giving his cast room to perform honestly, having been one of the key contributors to BeTipul, the Israeli-made original of In Treatment.

Here We Are is therefore a gem of a film; one that doesn’t shy away from the challenges faced by its characters, but also one that finds warmth and humour in often unexpected or simple places (Uri and Aharon shaving together to a favourite song is but one example, as is a sequence involving Uri learning to fish with his uncle).

It builds to a bittersweet conclusion that is, by turns, quietly inspirational and utterly moving. It is a mini masterpiece.

In Israeli, with subtitles

Certificate: 12

Running time: 1hr 34mins