Backwards

A young mother. Her autistic son. The incredible true story that changed how a nation approaches neurodivergence. It’s 1990s Poland, and Maryska will stop at nothing to provide her brilliant but withdrawn son with the education, social services, and healthcare he and many others of his ilk deserve. —M.G.

As a young, single mother, Maryśka sets her sights on her college dreams as soon as her son, Śubuk, is old enough to go to school. But when Śubuk enters kindergarten, school staff insist he belongs in a special needs school, denying him the educational environment he rightly deserves. Though exceptionally bright, Śubuk is socially distant from his classmates. When Maryśka finally obtains an autism diagnosis for her son, the disorder is incredibly misunderstood, and the demeaning advice and total lack of resources leaves her utterly hopeless. Fortunately, with Śubuk’s help, Maryśka resolves the world shall see her son’s invaluable worth just as she does. Inspired by true events, BACKWARDS follows the infuriating path into the Polish education system and a mother’s determination to upend the status quo to rewrite her son’s future. —A.B.