A young autistic woman runs away from her caregiver in order to boldly go and deliver her 500-page Star Trek script to a writing competition in Hollywood. On an adventure full of laughter and tears, Wendy follows the guiding spirit of Mr. Spock on her journey into the unknown.
This movie contains 8 potentially triggering events.
The dog, Pete, a small chihuahua, is well loved and taken care of during the film. He acts as an emotional therapy dog to Wendy, the main character who has autisim.
At the beginning of the film, the protagonist describes her daily routine and is shown in the shower, shot from behind and from about chest height up only.
While not a psych ward, several scenes in the film take place at a group home designated for those with mental illness. There are glimpses of residents at the home showcasing their various conditions, however none are frightening or degrading.
The main character Wendy, played by Dakota Fanning, has autisim. Therefore there are several scenes in the film where she expieriences high levels of anxiety and emotional outbursts.
The protagonist, who is autistic, is treated with varying levels of compassion throughout the film and is taken advantage of or treated poorly on a number of occasions. Seeing her as an easy target, a woman pretends to be her friend and offers her a ride, but then steals her billfold and MP3 player and leaves without her. When she then attempts to purchase food at a convenience store, she asks the clerk how much the bags of candy bars are. He tells her their cost by the each and, not understanding, she multiplies this number by the number of candy bars in each bag, coming out with an outrageous sum. The clerk slyly tells her that her math is correct and is ready to accept the rest of her money in loose change until another customer comes to her defense. A few other blue collar workers seem to size her up before speaking rudely to her and brushing her off. Near the end of the film, she is approached by a pair of police officers who have been keeping an eye out for her (as a missing person). In spite of the fact that she is not suspected of any crime and is known to be autistic, one of the officers yells at her and begins to give chase when she runs away. When they track her down to an alley, the officer again begins to aggressively advance on her as if to arrest her, but her partner stops her. Use your discretion.
A bus crash is implied but never shown, leading to the main character waking up in the hospital. No violence is shown, and the injuries she sustains aren't visible.