Melody Brooks has a voice.
Problem is, no one can hear it.
Melody has cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to a developing brain, oftentimes before birth. Cerebral palsy can make it difficult to walk, eat and even talk—of which Melody is painfully aware.
Despite these challenges, her mind is sharp. She’s curious and loves to learn. And she’s got so much she wants to say. Which makes it all the more frustrating when she can’t communicate.
Well, can’t isn’t the right word. Melody can communicate, just not in the way most people do. She uses a nonverbal communication board mostly, pointing out common words or spelling out what she needs to say. A quick, upward glance is her way of saying “yes,” for instance.
But most people don’t have the patience for all that. Most people don’t listen. Hey, it’s hard enough getting her own family to listen at times, given their stressful and busy lives, much of which involves helping Melody with the things she can’t do on her own.
Not that she’s complaining about her family—at least, not more than any preteen would. They are loving and supportive. They’re just a little … overprotective. Especially when it comes to their daughter interacting with the world outside the bubble they’ve created for her. Inside the bubble—her home, her special education class—is safe.
That’s why, when Melody is given the opportunity to join a “normal” sixth-grade class every so often, they’re hesitant. Oh, they know she’s up to the challenge academically. But she will face other challenges outside the bubble. Melody could be bullied or ostracized. More often than not, she’ll be misunderstood.
Wouldn’t it be better to save Melody from that heartache?
Melody has something to say about that. She wants to break free from the bubble. To achieve. To make friends. And to feel, in some way, a little less different.
She has a voice. And this time, she’s determined to make sure she’s heard.
Melody provides a great example of perseverance. Though she faces many challenges, she presses forward to prove that she belongs. And, eventually, she comes to realize that she doesn’t need the validation of others and accepts herself for who she is (and, I would add, who God made her to be).
Melody’s family is presented in a very authentic way. Her parents, Chuck and Diane, aren’t perfect: They don’t listen at times, they bicker and don’t always handle things in the best way. And occasionally, we see the strain that Melody’s condition puts on them.
Those moments in Out of My Mind feel very real. And, in a way, that makes it even more moving when we see the fierce love they have for their daughter. The support. The willingness to stand up and fight for her rights. To be a voice for the voiceless, in a very literal sense.
Chuck and Diane have differences of opinion when it comes to Melody well-being, but both perspectives are born out of a place of love and care for their daughter. Diane wants Melody to be safe, valued and respected. Chuck wants her to grow and get a good education. Ultimately, Melody wants to go beyond her comfort zone. When that decision is made, both parents rally together to support her efforts.
This is exemplified when Chuck and Diane work together to get their daughter a “Medi-Talker,” a text-to-speech device that verbalizes the words Melody wants to say. Chuck is brought to tears after hearing his daughter speak to him through the synthesized voice for the first time. In one tender moment, Melody’s mother tells her, “You have a voice. Let them hear you.”
In addition to her family, Melody has others who advocate for her. Katherine, a doctoral fellow, recognizes Melody’s potential and fights for her right to learn outside the special ed classroom. Mrs. V, a neighbor, dotes on Melody and her little sister, Penny—often giving encouragement and even picking Melody up from school. Special education staff love and care for the children entrusted to them. Slowly, classmates come to accept Melody, especially her friend, Rose.
Melody listens to the Judy Blume book Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., in which the protagonist has ongoing conversations with God. A quiz team coach appears to pray while his team competes: He says, “Lord, give me strength.”
In an internal monologue, Melody wishes for bigger breasts and a boy to like her. She also says she doesn’t understand “French kissing.” Melody shares with Rose that she has a crush on a boy in their class.
Melody watches the TV show Friends, and we see Jennifer Aniston in a low-cut top. Mrs. V works out to an aerobics video which features women wearing tight workout clothing. A quiz competition is held at a venue called “The Painted Lady” and we see an illustration of a women in a bikini covered in butterfly tattoos.
Rose often wears shirts that reveal her midsection. A girl tells her friend that she looks “half-naked” in her outfit. We see women dance while showing their midriffs.
Ollie, the family fish, jumps out of his tank when only Melody is present. She panics, and as she tries to get Ollie water, she knocks over the tank, which spills everywhere. Melody thinks about biting a woman who always pats her on the head like a dog.
A young girl is hit by a car as it’s backing out of the driveway. (The scene is harrowing, but the girl is OK.) Katherine tells Melody that, if she had to face what Melody has had to endure, she’d would “punch a hole” in a wall. A girl jokes that someone is “literally going to kill me.”
Mrs. V gives Melody some coarse advice regarding making her feelings known to her caregivers: “Just because someone wipes your a– doesn’t mean you have to kiss theirs.” Penny says “poop” several times in one scene because it’s “fun to say.” When Melody first gets her text-to-speech device, she accidentally has it say that she “wants toilet.” A bully is about to say “retarded” before a teacher cuts her off.
We hear 13 misuses of God’s name. The word “d–n” is used once, along with “butts” and “butt cheek,” “crap,” and “fart.” Kids tell each other to “shut up” a few times. Diane starts to say “you mother—” in jest. (She doesn’t finish it off with an expletive.)
Diane drinks a beer. Adults partake in wine at a celebratory meal.
Melody acts out in protest when her mother won’t let her join a class outside of special ed. At times, she gets frustrated when people don’t understand what she’s trying to tell them. Later, she intentionally breaks her text-to-speech device in anger after missing a quiz team trip. She also uses her disability to skip the line into a popular store.
Sometimes family frustrations boil over in Out of My Mind. Chuck raises his voice at Melody when he sees the mess she made with the fish tank. She can’t explain exactly what happened, so both are left frustrated. Diane and Chuck argue about what’s best for their daughter.
At one point, Melody feels like she’s only a problem for her family. (Her mother shuts this line of thinking down, reaffirming to her daughter how much she is loved.)
Mr. Dimming, the sixth-grade teacher and quiz team coach, is clearly uncomfortable dealing with Melody. He treats her differently and even excludes her from team events. Other school faculty are not very supportive of Melody. One school staffer questions Melody’s integrity on a test.
Rose, Melody’s classmate, wavers back and forth on their friendship and says some hurtful things when Melody gets a spot on the quiz team over her. Kids and adults alike say well-meaning but insensitive things to Melody. Some stare and gossip.
Melody says, “Being special usually means being separated.” She loves Halloween because she gets to dress up and she gets stares “for the right reasons.” At one point, she compares herself to Lisa Simpson.
A scene from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. is referenced where characters buy menstrual pads.
Out of My Mind, based on the 2010 book of the same name, is a heartfelt tale that doesn’t shy away from the difficulties faced by those who have cerebral palsy and those who care for them. We get to hear Melody’s inner thoughts, witness her struggles, and root for her as she tries to find her place.
There aren’t always easy answers, for Melody or her family. But they persevere. And they keep on loving and supporting each other every step way, through the good and the bad.
That’s a beautiful thing to watch and—despite some content issues here and there—will give families plenty to cheer about.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
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