Refrigerator Mothers (2003)

Directed by

David E. Simpson

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary interviews mothers who were blamed by doctors for causing their children's autism in the 1950s and 1960s. They share their personal stories of being labeled and their journeys to overcome that stigma.

intimatesoberingpersonalresilienthistoricalreflectivesolemn

What happens

Refrigerator Mothers is a 2003 television documentary film by Kartemquin Films for PBS's P.O.V. series. The film paints an intimate portrait of an entire generation of American mothers whose children were diagnosed with autism. Labeled "refrigerator mothers" in the 1950s and 1960s by the medical establishment for their supposedly frigid and detached mothering, these women "have emerged with strong, resilient voices to share the details of their personal journeys". Refrigerator Mothers was awarded First Prize at the 2002 National Council of Family Relations Media Awards. The film won Best of Show at the 2002 Indiana Film Festival as well as named as an Official Selection to numerous international film festivals. Refrigerator Mothers was featured in a January 2010 issue of Psychology Today that focused on the racial and class stereotyping of autism. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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