In director Lasse Hallstrom's film, What's Eating Gilbert Grape
             showcases the exceptionality of the mentally handicapped within the context
             of a family situation. The clearly non-traditional and dysfunctional
             family struggles to care for their mentally handicapped son, Arne, and yet
             manage to show love and support for each other throughout some trying and
             difficult time. The struggles that the family faces often illustrate the
             difficulties faced by families and caregivers of the mentally handicapped,
             especially in regard to the balance between personal needs and family
             In the movie, Arne (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is the 17-year-old
             mentally handicapped brother of the lead character, Gilbert (played by
             Johnny Depp). While the majority of the movie is about Gilbert's struggles
             with his life and dysfunctional family, much of his anxiety and trouble
             comes from Arne. Leonardo DiCaprio does a fantastic job of portraying the
             mentally handicapped Arne. He manages to get the viewer to sympathize with
             both Arne and Gilbert's problems, and yet never really elicits a feeling of
             pity. Arne is seen as a complex, three-dimensional personality, with needs
             and wants of his own. He is alternatively loveable and wonderful, and the
             cause of a great deal of trouble to Gilbert. In one occasion, Arne manages
             to climb the local water tower, but forgets how to get down. Here,
             DiCaprio does an excellent job of showing Arne's confusion, without making
             him seem pitiful or falling back on may clichés about the mentally
             In Hallstrom's film, the family pays an important and crucial role to
             both the lives of Gilbert and Arne. The family is clearly dysfunctional
             and non-traditional. Gilbert's father committed suicide, and his mother,
             formerly a teacher, is without a job and has eaten herself to the
             staggering weight of 500 lbs. Gilbert is largely left with the work of
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