Danes’ impression of Grandin is impeccable. When she finally began to talk, it was in a shouty, discordant, no-nonsense monotone. As a little girl, she was violent, self-harming, friendless and mute. Like Raymond in Rain Man, Grandin sees life in pictures that she then memorises. Why do they nearly always depict characters or choose real people who speak in that monotone and have all the tics? This is how autism was described in 1953 by the DSM, and it was said to be the result of cold parenting. Now 74, Grandin was labelled as an infantile schizophrenic. The most obvious example of this is Temple Grandin, the 2010 TV biopic starring Clare Danes as the eponymous heroine an outrageously gifted woman who has led a fascinating life. It is imaginatively and knowledgeably curated, but still inevitably reflects the shortcomings of autism in the movies.Īs with Rain Man, exceptionalism is at the heart of so many films about autism. The season is short and sweet, consisting of a cult classic ( Mulholland Drive), mainstream hit ( Temple Grandin) a romcom with a largely autistic cast, obscure indie films, shorts and documentaries. The season is accompanied by talks in a series of relaxed screenings. This month, the Barbican in London is presenting Autism and Cinema: An Exploration of Neurodiversity. Something not always recognised in the movies – the all-tic-ing, eye-contact-avoiding, robotic-sounding weirdo genius is still the autist of choice for Hollywood. Most importantly – and obviously – all autistic people are different. Autistic people find communication and social interaction difficult, display repetitive and restrictive behaviour, and may be over or under sensitive to light, sound or touch, have highly focused interests, and experience extreme anxiety and meltdowns. By 2013, Asperger’s Disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders had been replaced with the umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (basically a posh name for autism). Photograph: Allstar/United Artists/Sportsphoto Groundbreaking in its time … Hoffman and Cruise in Rain Man.
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