Initially, Tyler wants nothing to do with Zak, considering him a hindrance to his own escape plans, and intends to part ways with Zak. On the course of his trek, Zak encounters Tyler (portrayed by Shia LaBeouf), a fisherman and thief who is on the run himself after destroying $12,000 worth of equipment following a confrontation with crabbers whose crabs he had stolen and unsuccessfully tried to sell. This prompts Zak’s specialist Eleanor (portrayed by Dakota Johnson), a well-meaning but overly protective caregiver who does not truly understand his aspirations, to pursue him along the North Carolina coast in the hope of finding him and bringing him back to the retirement home. One night Carl finally aids Zak in escaping through the window of their room so that Zak may go off in search of Saltwater Redneck’s wrestling school and train with him. He makes several unsuccessful attempts to escape but is caught each time and confined to his room with Carl (played by Bruce Dern in a cameo appearance), an elderly resident who respects Zak’s love of wrestling and encourages him to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Zak spends his time tuning into professional wrestling videos featuring Saltwater Redneck (portrayed by Thomas Haden Church), whom he idolizes and aspires to emulate as a professional wrestler. Set in eastern North Carolina, the film revolves around Zak (portrayed by Zack Gottsagen), a 22-year-old man with Down syndrome living in a senior retirement facility after having been left there by his family since they did not want the responsibility of caring for him. I therefore decided to make The Peanut Butter Falcon the topic of this review. While not a production about autism, this film articulates a motivational message for people with disabilities in general who wish to pursue their dreams and will not let their physical or neurological challenges be an obstacle to that achievement. Recently I had the opportunity to see the film The Peanut Butter Falcon in theaters. There is a prevalent perception that people with Down Syndrome in particular are inhibited from being able to attend college, live independently or work a professional job due to the physical challenges of their disability and the numerous medications that they require, but Zak significantly challenges these assumptions through his development over the course of his travels with Tyler.
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