Hannah Roche

Peanut Butter Falcon was one of the most raw and uplifting films that I have seen in a long time. This film goes way beyond entertainment purposes and beautifully illustrates a strong pure friendship between Zak and Tyler. The use of an actor with Down Syndrome, Zack Gottsagen, to portray Zak was intelligent and inspiring, as he had an outstanding performance. This film shatters the stereotypes typically shown in films of this nature. Zak and Tyler’s friendship is powerful in this film, and the capabilities and aspirations that Zak passionately exhibits goes to show the belittling treatment society uses with people with Down Syndrome frequently. During his time in the nursing home, Zak is praised for doing simple tasks like putting on his shirt alone. While this is supportive and reality in many circumstances, Zak pushes those boundaries and strives to show he can do more on his own. He sneaks out of the home and runs away, eventually finding Tyler and embarking on a long runaway journey with him to accomplish his dreams of wrestling professionally. Tyler treats Zak like an equal and really pushes him to be the strongest and most independent version of himself through high expectations that Zak shatters. The friendship between these two goes way beyond an able-bodied man assisting a man with Down Syndrome chase his dreams. Their friendship is sincere and true, with fresh raw conversations and a mutually beneficial aspect where they both were able to help and teach each other things about life. This film just let’s shine the individual value that every person’s life has, no matter their situation in life and the friendships that have so much potential to change your life, even between the most unlikely of pairings, which is what makes this film so beautiful. I applaud everyone in this film, from the casting directors for allowing Zack Gottsagen to put on an awe-inspiring and motivational performance that allows people to see the true potential and capabilities of those with Down Syndrome, to the fellow actors, directors, producers, and everyone in-between that contributed to the remarkable film.