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Autism Pride Day: Movies

Autism is a spectrum; we're not all learning disabled, high functioning, or severe. All of us have potential, and it's time we learned more about ourselves and each other. We have a diagnosis, a history, and a wide range of skills.

How are we portrayed in movies?

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   "Autism is a spectrum, each character we see on screen should be unique; but I guess Hollywood has yet to get the memo!"

   Autism on Screen- Cube – A Is For Aoife Not Autism

   Reviews based on the portrayal of the person or persons with autism and whether they are portrayed positively.

   Bass, R. (2005) Mozart and the Whale. United States: Nu Image.

One of the best movies depicting two characters with Asperger's. The male lead has a BA and gets a job at a university, and the female lead works as a hairdresser and is an artist. Their romance is not all positive, but they work on it. Good supporting cast of an autistic group and some of their personal issues. It would have been nice to actually have autistic actors, but for 2005, it was ahead of its time.

   Baxley, Craig R. et al. (2002) Stephen King’s Rose Red. Deluxe ed. United States: Trimark Home Video.
NE library. Film.

Kimberly J. Brown plays Annie Wheaton, a child who is psychic and also possibly autistic (?). Stephen King is always careful not to label his characters with specific disabilities or abilities. Mostly, this character is psychic, and on that level is fine. A few times there are lines referring to her condition, but very vague. Mostly it portrays the horrible plight of poor people putting up with their autistic relatives.

   Buno, Dina. (2017). Dina. New York, NY. Killer Films.

This is a documentary about a woman, Dina, and her fiancé, Scott. They are both on the Spectrum and learning disabled. Dina is on disability and Scott is a greeter at Walmart. Dina lives on her own and has been married and in other sexual relationships in the past and Scott has not done either. She has to teach him how to be a good husband and in the end, she appears to have succeeded.

   Filippou, E. & Lanthimos, Y. The Lobster. New York, NY. Element Pictures.

The support for the reviews calling this an autistic movie are short and unsupported: The characters are emotionless and talk without inflection, are stiff, and never smile. Seriously?!?  This, at best, is a caricature and completely inaccurate. Autistic people feel very strong emotions, they just have a hard time communicating them. This is a dystopian, satirical movie and has nothing to do with autism. Reviewers, please google autism as defined by autistics and stop labeling!

   Herskovitz, Marshall. et al. (2004) I Am Sam. Widescreen version. Los Angeles, CA. New Line Home Entertainment.
TR library. Film.

I assume that Sam has a communication problem that affects him when he is stressed, and that is what the courtroom scene portrays. However, being low intelligence has no bearing on his autism. Autistic people have intelligence scores all over the spectrum. I am tired of autistic people being portrayed as having lower IQs. Hollywood often portrays autistic people as savants or learning-disabled, with little room for the realities between two extremes.

   Israel, Rachel. (2017). Keep the Change. New York, NY. Tangerine Entertainment.

Wasn't written by a person with autism but actors who play autistic characters are actually autistic! Very good movie but, again, not all people with autism have a severe learning disability!

   Jackson, Mick. et al. (2010) Temple Grandin. [Widescreen ed.]. New York: HBO Home Entertainment. TR/NE libraries. Film.

Not a bad movie based on an autistic woman's life. Be sure to check out her great books. The part that sticks with me in the movie is when she needs the special squeezer in her dorm room. Now, I don't have those types of sensory issues, but I also have pets. The other issue I have is the actress that portrayed her was costumed and made up to look less attractive than she was to match Temple's look and physique. The movie maker could have cast a woman who looked more like Temple, or better yet, hired an autistic actor! Good presentation on the way Temple designs the various cattle enclosures.

   Tyldum, Morten et al.(2015) The Imitation Game. New York: Weinstein Company Home Entertainment. NW/SE/TR libraries. Film.

I think most people watched this movie because of the topic of WWII history and the interest in how mathematicians cracked the code. The more personal issues of the illegality of homosexuals is touched upon, but not Alan Turing's autism is referred to as "quiet genius" in the write-ups, but it is thought he has Asperger's.

   Khan, Shah Rukh et al. (2010) My Name Is Khan. Widescreen version. Beverly Hills, Calif: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. TR library. Film.

This movie doesn't focus on autism as a primary aspect of the plot. The main character is autistic, which makes it difficult for him to communicate under pressure, and a Muslim living in the aftermath of 9/11. Both aspects of his character are given weight in the movie, but overall I would characterize it as a political film.

   King, S. (2017). Mr.Mercedes. Los Angeles, CA. Sonar Entertainment.

Holly, who Stephen has portrayed in several books and stories, does have autistic traits. I'm sure mini-series presented it as well as in the books. You get the sense of awkwardness and "weirdness" but I don't see her best traits, which is to see everything from a fresh perspective; an autistic ability that is never emphasized in Hollywood enough.

   Mayer, Max. et al. (2010) Adam. Widescreen ed. Beverly Hills, Calif: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
 NE/TR libraries. Film.

A normal person struggling with dealing with an autistic person, who is eventually too strange for the poor normal person (Eyes rolled). Needless to say, not recommended.

   Natali, Vincenzo. et al.(1997). Cube. Widescreen. Santa Monica, CA. Trimark Home Video. TR library. Film.

Sigh, a Hollywood movie where the only purpose for the autistic person is to be a savant with skills a normal person needs, otherwise, an autistic person is an annoyance. Speaking of annoyance, what casting direction choose Ben Affleck to play an autistic person?!? The man has only one character and it is definitely not an autistic person.

   O’Connor, Gavin et al. (2017). The Accountant. Widescreen presentation. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. NW/S/TR libraries. Film.

A savant whose only purpose is to be exploited by the bad guys. Once again, Hollywood has one view of autistic people that they reuse over and over again.

   Smith, C et al. (2009) Triangle. Widescreen. Century City, CA: First Look Studios, TR library. Film 

   This is a movie in the genre of poor neuro-typical stressed out by an autistic child.

"AUTISTIC CHARACTERS, IF PRESENT AT ALL, ARE STILL SIDE CHARACTERS WHO EXIST MOSTLY OUT OF PLOT CONVENIENCE AND NOT A NECESSITY, AND THEIR STORIES ARE PRIMARILY TOLD BY ALLISTIC CREATORS."

Super Scary Autism and Autistic Representation in Horror - Morbidly Beautiful

Television series that present autism realistically and positively.

Burton, L. & de Seguins, A. (2019) Astrid et Raphaelle France, JLA Productions. 
French series streaming on Amazon, 4 seasons, 2019-present.

Really good mystery series that the autistic character fairly realistically, from the challenge to being friends with people to accommodating some of her quirks and her Brillance at her job as an archivist. I recommend you try this series; it has subtitles.