I don't generally feel compelled to write movie reviews, but was sufficiently effected by this film.
I submitted the following review to the Internet Movie Database. Somehow, it seems to me that this film is a total sleeper as far as the subject matter it addresses. Not a peep about AS anywhere that I could find.
It Has a NameIt's called Asperger's Syndrome. Adam (
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185836/) wasn't the only one to bring it to the movies in 2009. This time, just like your favorite movie-time snack, it got snuck in using less obvious packaging. Jeff Daniels' portrayal of the gifted, if paradoxical Arlen Faber feels a bit truer to how the condition can manifest itself in real life and how it can hide behind the most unassuming of appearances. See both movies and see that there's a reason they call it "on the spectrum" for those of us who are like Arlen or Adam.
Don't think for a moment that men are the only ones who have this condition. The ratio varies according to some sources, but a healthy number seems to center around 4:1; that is, for every 4 men with Asperger's, there is only 1 woman with the condition.
We don't mean to be rude or awful (okay - well, not always, anyhow), we just are. Many of us can't help it. Part of this comes from a lack of tendency to engage in or tolerate any kind of dishonesty. Another part comes from our difficulties engaging in social interactions and situations in general.
Next time you come across someone like Arlen Faber, realize that you are being faced with an opportunity from God to suspend anger, hatred and judgment.
20 Feb 2010, 11:49 pm
