Born in 1951 in Salt Lake City, Kim Peek was diagnosed as mentally retarded and his doctors advised his parents to put him in a mental facility and forget about him. His parents, of course, wouldn’t even consider doing such a thing and would raise him themselves. Throughout his life, Kim proved to be an astonishing individual. His brain damage made him a confounding mix of disability and brilliance. At age thirty, he was labeled as a “mega-savant” and was considered a genius in 15 different subjects. A few years later, Peek met writer Barry Morro and his life would change forever when Morro decided to base a character off of him in the classic movie Rain Man, making Peek “The Real Rain Man”. Sadly, Kim Peek died recently of a heart attack at the age of 58 but this fabulous 5 part documentary available on YouTube documents the journey he took along the west coast of California to learn more about the workings of his brain.
I started watching this documentary early (early) one morning, curious to learn more about the man behind the famous film. I thought there was no way I would get through the five parts of the film but within the first few minutes, I was hooked and tears were starting to well up. This is more than a film about the scientific workings of the brain, it is a film about love and about how change is always possible.
Here is part one:
Much love goes out to you all!
<3,
C
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