The Story
Donald (Josh Hartnett), a man with Asperger's Syndrome, runs a self-help group for people on the autism spectrum, where he meets Isabelle, who also has Asperger's. The two begin a romantic relationships, encountering many communication difficulties along the way.
- Preoccupations with numbers, music
- Dislikes loud noises (clanging metal in particular)
- Take things very literally
- More comfortable interacting with animals than humans
- Difficulty with changes to routine
- Rocking back and forth, hand flapping when upset
- Difficulty with eye contact and other nonverbal communication
What We Liked
The film gave an honest portrayal of the difficulties faced by couples on the spectrum. Donald and Isabelle in particular possess several individual qualities that they struggle to find a compromise between including sexual insecurity, a topic not often breached by the mass media. While Isabelle is rather caustic in manner, Donald tends to be more on the shy side. This also makes the film relatable to the audience as this is no doubt an issue for many NT couples as well. The juxtaposition of their personalities was very effective in conveying a sense of empathy regarding the added difficulties that ASD couples face in their relationships.
The film also highlighted the difficulties that ASD individuals face in terms of "fitting in" in a NT-centric society. One point of contention in particular centers around Donald's desire to appear "normal" to the NT population around them, particularly their neighbors and his boss. Donald and Isabelle's idiosyncrasies often clash and the two struggle to make their relationship work despite frequent conflict.
What We Didn't
While the film gave an overall positive and accurate portrayal of autism/Asperger's, it also perpetuated the stereotype that all autistics are savants. Though Donald has been fired from nearly every cab company in the city because of his inability to pay attention to more than one thing at a time, his penchant for numbers lands him a desk job checking computer-generated code for mathematical errors. Isabelle on the other hand, has an affinity for music. She has perfect pitch and transcribed the entire score to one of Mozart's symphonies while simultaneously creating an oil painting.
While there are no doubt individuals on the spectrum who do possess these abilities, savant skills are too often the focus of autistic characters in film and television. This sends the message that it's okay to be autistic as long as you have some redeeming quality, like Donald's mathematical ability or Isabelle's musical talent. Films should instead focus on the wide variety of other positive qualities that individuals on the spectrum attribute to their autism.
Overall Grade: B+
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