Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Mercury Rising


The Story
Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis) is an undercover FBI agent who has to protect Simon, a nine year old autistic boy who is targeted by hit men after cracking a top secret government code.

Autistic Characteristics Portrayed
- Fascination with buttons
- Delays in development of verbal communication
- Lack of nonverbal communication
- Atypical mannerisms

What We Liked
The film started off semi-promising when we followed Simon on his bus ride home. We were given a glimpse of his every day routine and the process that he needs to go through after school and when he gets ready for bed, as well as the ways in which his parents and teachers have come to accommodate his idiosyncrasies. Unfortunately, the exploration of Simon's autism pretty much ends there.

However, this portrayal of autism is not entirely devoid of value. Simon's character provides an example of what autism can look like. It is important for the general public to understand that autism is not a narrowly defined "condition" and that every autistic is different. Too often people see one movie about an autistic person (namely Rain Man) and assume that they know all about autism. We know that this is not the case. So while the degree to which autism was explored was disappointing, Mercury Rising did provide another portrait of what an autistic person can be like.

What We Didn't
The film did not attempt to explore autism in the slightest. Simon's autism was merely a plot device to set the film in motion when he cracks the code. This was extremely evident from the fact that after we see Simon employ his savant skills, the film ceased to explore his character any further on any other levels. For the remainder of the film, Simon's role mostly consists of screaming and flailing every time someone tries to touch him.

Furthermore, the only aspect of Simon's autism that was addressed was the fact that he is an autistic savant. In fact, one character even said "Autism isn't synonymous with diminished capacity. Many of them are savants," implying that the only value autistics have is their savant skills, if they have any. As I have stated in my previous posts, the tendency of Hollywood films to only feature autistic characters with savant skills perpetuates the stereotype that all autistics are savants. This leaves no room for a realistic exploration of autism or people on the spectrum. Instead, audience members' misconceptions of autism are simply reinforced over and over again.

Overall Grade: D

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