The most inspirational and heart-warming documentary of 2016 is now available to watch for free

94% on Rotten Tomatoes and Oscar-nominated.

Unless you happen to be Michael Owen, it’s very likely that you absolutely love watching films because cinema is an art form that’s unlike any other.

Think about your favourite movies. You probably have a strong connection to them because they still have the capacity to entertain, move, enlighten, educate and shape how you see the world.

Granted, the majority of us will watch a film and forget about it immediately, but in very rare cases, cinema has the power to change lives. We know that this is a broad statement to make, but after watching the documentary Life, Animated, you’ll genuinely believe it.

The Oscar-nominated documentary tells the heart-warming and inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child after developing autism at the age of 3.

As Owen withdraws further into his silent state, his parents nearly lose all hope that their son will find some way to interact with the world. However, through the medium of animated films, Owen finds a way to understand and engage with the world.

The film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards and it has absolutely charmed everyone that has seen it.

Renowned film critic Mark Kermode stated that it’s a “film about the way in which cinema can change lives”  while in their review, Rolling Stone praised the fact that “instead of false hope, it offers up possibility, the chance of a stimulus that might get past the blocks of developmental disorder. That’s more than encouraging. Life, Animated is truly inspirational.”

The documentary is currently available to watch for free via BBC iPlayer and if you’re looking for something that’s uplifting and moving, you can do a lot worse than Life, Animated.

Here’s what people made of it.

https://twitter.com/AnoukScheep/status/839836776235675653

Life, Animated #documentary featuring the soul-path of Owen Suskind is a moment of genius. If only Walt Disney could have seen this film.

— chocolatecake (@cakemachine_) March 2, 2017

https://twitter.com/willtheaks/status/836709078864916480

https://twitter.com/RyanRazor_/status/836133466064502784

The Award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary Life, Animated is available to watch free, online until 21/3 https://t.co/tdQcDUP2wf pic.twitter.com/mulXc9793X

— The Toby Henderson Trust (@AutismTTHT) March 4, 2017

Here’s the trailer.

Clip via – Movieclips Film Festivals & Indie Films