Nowhere
You Are is one of the first documentaries to portray "high functioning autism".
By observing the daily life of Stefanie Sacks, an autistic young woman, one
gains insight into her often confounding condition. Nowhere You Are is
the title of a poem Stefanie write, expressing her alienation from others. She
describes life as "walking through a rainbow haze." Her poetry and haunting
artwork express these feelings. High functioning autism has begun to be understood only in the past decade. The symptoms are subtle though pervasive – the most striking characteristics are an inability to feel complex emotions or to understand intuitively the feelings of others. Yet those with this disorder are often very intelligent and able to succeed at a variety of jobs: Stefanie works at a day care center.
Only within the past year did Stefanie emerge from her isolation to communicate to others. Through Stefanie’s example, viewers are sensitized to the autistic person’s challenge to engage in life without having experienced "normal" emotions, or having achieved a sense of identity.
