At the Movies: Like Stars on Earth

It took me a while to catch up with the 2007 film, Like Stars on Earth, but it was worth waiting for. Made in India and released in the U.S. by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, the film offers a charming, artful, and accurate depiction of dyslexia.

All over the world, parents and teachers have enormous difficulty understanding dyslexia. To complicate matters, parents are bombarded with misinformation about what dyslexia is and how it is successfully treated. This movie gets it right.

Aamir Khan has done a masterful job, both as a director and an actor. Darsheel Safary is terrific as 8-year-old Ishaan. People who have no experience with dyslexia might criticize this movie as overly sentimental but, having worked with hundreds of people with dyslexia, and their families, I find the emotional tone to be incredibly accurate.

As he noted on his blog, Aamir Khan was nervous and concerned when his film was screened for a professional audience at a meeting of the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) in Seattle in 2008. But then, he says, “the lights came on… to an ABSOLUTELY THUNDEROUS STANDING OVATION!!! My God, it was so moving. I was so overwhelmed. Then I came forward for the Q&A and saw the tears streaming down the cheeks of the audience.”

To learn more about the film, read the extensive article on Wikipedia. If you’d like to understand more about dyslexia and enjoy a drama about the human spirit, see Like Stars on Earth!

If you have a child who struggles with reading, writing, or spelling, the first and most critical step in getting the right help is a professional evaluation. You can read more about online dyslexia testing and treatment or contact us with your questions at Info@Lexercise.com or 1-919-747-4557.