Don’t Be a Dick About It (2018)

Directed by: Ben Mullinkosson | 69 minutes | documentary

What is it like to live with a brother who is autistic? This question can lead to heavy costs, but the documentary ‘Don’t Be a Dick About It’ proves that it doesn’t have to be. The film takes a look at the lives of Matthew and Peter Mullin. Peter is in his early 20s and autistic. Matthew is his younger brother and lives a “normal” life compared to Peter, which should include bickering with your big brother. Peter is fascinating to watch; he has an obsession with Survivor (the American variant of Expedition Robinson), which manifests itself mainly in constantly replaying the elimination round of the game. The naturalness with which he imitates Survivor and his family undergoes it is heartwarming.

And heartwarming is actually the term used to describe the entire documentary. Of the Mullin family, Peter and Matthew are the only two still living at home. The older brother and sister return to the old nest every now and then. Almost all interaction of the family members is warm and loving. Peter’s autism is never a loaded subject. ‘Don’t Be a Dick About It’ also shows that, despite all his habits, Peter’s life can be ordinary. Matthew’s role is to provide the contrast. His life seems to serve as a benchmark against which Peter’s life can be seen as different. And those two elements make the film so beautiful: Peter is given complete freedom to do his own thing and Matthew is the typical adolescent with accompanying traits.

The only minus (and a really small minus) about the film is the storyline of Matthew’s fear of dogs. Where the story with Peter keeps returning to the elimination round, with Matthew it is about overcoming the fear of dogs. The storyline can be interpreted as Matthew also has his “deviations” and that nuance is not necessary. It may also be that the makers wanted to bring Matthew to life because the film is explicitly presented as a story about two brothers. However it may be, without that addition there would still have been a beautiful, warm, honest story.

‘Don’t Be a Dick About It’ won the IDFA audience award in 2018 and that is more than deserved. Especially in turbulent times it is nice to be able to watch a film about family, love, warmth and friendship.