Saw "Mozart and the Whale" [Spoilers, and plenty o

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Capriccio
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27 Sep 2008, 9:00 pm

I've been kinda wanting to see it. From the hype, it sounded like it is the class Asperger movie. I thought the whole thing was quite hilarious. I don't think the plot was very dynamic, but the way Donald acted.. I'm not as bad, but I've done some of that stuff :) Loved the whale costume.

"I just don't know that you and I could go anywhere."
"We could go to the amusement park..."

"They asked me what my plans were, and I said I was thinking about going to McDonalds for a 12-piece nugget and a couple of cheeseburgers... They smiled and said they'd call me (yeah I understand it was a more serious moment)."

Though at the same time, I kinda thought maybe the characters are exaggerated in their symptoms. I know I'm a milder case of AS, and perhaps I just haven't seen some people who have it bad, particularly Donald. Also, Gracie, whose facial expressions were indirectly proportional to her sensations of grief (if you get what I mean by that). There was the girl who always talked loud, and the guy who was obsessed with weather patterns. It's not the fact that they knew so much about particular subjects (math, weather, Presidents), but just the way they acted. Perhaps for the sake of showing all aspects of the condition they did it.

What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? You more able to relate than me?



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27 Sep 2008, 10:08 pm

I saw this movie too, after reading the book, and I had to say that I noticed that the symptoms are exaggerated as well. I kept thinking to myself that I was not like so-and-so in the movie. I have a mild case of AS myself, so maybe I couldn't relate to some of the more severe symptoms.


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27 Sep 2008, 10:25 pm

One of them who talks loud made me think of me. But I don't talk that loud but my mother says sometimes I do. She also says "Don't care" "Nobody cares" about Donald's obsession. Something I say to my dad about sports. He knows I don't care for them but why does he have to tell me about it. I just tell him "Not interested." and "Don't care" when he doesn't shut up.


I thought Isabelle was very mild. She was more social and very outgoing. I can be like her. I just talk up a storm and she mothered Donald. Their relationship reminded me of the relationship I had with my first. Always had to mother my ex and I hated it. He acted like a kid.


Donald came off as shy, I am also shy.


I do not think the symptoms were over exaggerated. I think people are only saying that because they can't relate to them. Every aspie is different so not all of them are going to act the same. How Donald reacted to change in his apartment, not all aspies react that way to change. They will each react to it differently and some might even react to it the NT way because changes don't upset them that much. They know their stuff is still there. They might walk around seeing where everything is. I assume that's how an NT would act to change in their home if it was all cleaned.



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28 Sep 2008, 12:43 am

He asked her to marry him and her response was to commit suicide. Yet she loved him. Sounds familiar to me.
It was interesting to see them push each other away and then obsess about one another. Very romantic and I can identify with that.


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28 Sep 2008, 11:47 am

Capriccio wrote:
I've been kinda wanting to see it. From the hype, it sounded like it is the class Asperger movie. I thought the whole thing was quite hilarious. I don't think the plot was very dynamic, but the way Donald acted.. I'm not as bad, but I've done some of that stuff :) Loved the whale costume.

"I just don't know that you and I could go anywhere."
"We could go to the amusement park..."

"They asked me what my plans were, and I said I was thinking about going to McDonalds for a 12-piece nugget and a couple of cheeseburgers... They smiled and said they'd call me (yeah I understand it was a more serious moment)."

Though at the same time, I kinda thought maybe the characters are exaggerated in their symptoms. I know I'm a milder case of AS, and perhaps I just haven't seen some people who have it bad, particularly Donald. Also, Gracie, whose facial expressions were indirectly proportional to her sensations of grief (if you get what I mean by that). There was the girl who always talked loud, and the guy who was obsessed with weather patterns. It's not the fact that they knew so much about particular subjects (math, weather, Presidents), but just the way they acted. Perhaps for the sake of showing all aspects of the condition they did it.

What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? You more able to relate than me?


Keep in mind that Gracie had Kanner's (classic autism) and not Asperger's. I identified a lot with Donald Morton; I even do the same thing with numbers that he does (only not that advanced). I think some of the traits are exaggerated to underline what Asperger's actually is.


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Capriccio
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28 Sep 2008, 7:09 pm

Quote:
Keep in mind that Gracie had Kanner's (classic autism) and not Asperger's. I identified a lot with Donald Morton; I even do the same thing with numbers that he does (only not that advanced). I think some of the traits are exaggerated to underline what Asperger's actually is.


Hm I didn't realize that was the case. You met people like her? I guess it's definitely not inconceivable, but I've never seen that before.

(Keep in mind I'm still a bit ignorant about autism, since I didn't know much about it until almost a year ago when two friends suggested I may have Asperger's)

Quote:
He asked her to marry him and her response was to commit suicide. Yet she loved him. Sounds familiar to me.
It was interesting to see them push each other away and then obsess about one another. Very romantic and I can identify with that.


Interesting. Emotionally, how does that work? What's the thought behind that?

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I saw this movie too, after reading the book, and I had to say that I noticed that the symptoms are exaggerated as well. I kept thinking to myself that I was not like so-and-so in the movie. I have a mild case of AS myself, so maybe I couldn't relate to some of the more severe symptoms.


I didn't know there was a book. I'll have to check it out.

Quote:
I do not think the symptoms were over exaggerated. I think people are only saying that because they can't relate to them. Every aspie is different so not all of them are going to act the same. How Donald reacted to change in his apartment, not all aspies react that way to change. They will each react to it differently and some might even react to it the NT way because changes don't upset them that much. They know their stuff is still there. They might walk around seeing where everything is. I assume that's how an NT would act to change in their home if it was all cleaned.


It was more or less me and my dad thinking this. I think I get my AS from my dad because of the way he acts, though I think he's a bit better off than me. I can relate to Donald a lot, and I can be as obsessive and awkward mobility-wise. Altogether, we're both a little more mild, and I never really knew a whole lot about autism until about a year ago (I suspected I had some form of it because I realized I had a hard time making emotional connections). I'll probably jump on YouTube tonight and educate myself a bit.



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17 Oct 2008, 4:13 am

I know I'm a bit late on this thread, but I just saw this movie for the first time.

I'd say that I'm definitely a bit of a mix between Donald and Isabelle.

My room, in my apartment, is as cluttered as Donald's and I have a few of his mannerisms, like when he keeps telling himself that he's late for his date with Isabelle until he finally decides, and rationalizes, that he's too late to show up. I also can't stand to have anyone touch or change my stuff. One day, I came home to find my roommate's mom in our living room. She looked at me with this nasty look and said, "I can't stand clutter!"(obviously talking about my room). I just tried to return the same nasty look as I thought, "And I can't stand people who step beyond their bounds, open closed doors and intrude into other's private space."

I'm like Isabelle in that my talents are in art and music. Back in college, I covered the walls of my dorm room with paper and drew all over them (In my ceramics class, I sculpted one of the images that I drew on the wall and the professor seriously asked me if I needed someone to talk to). I also have a perfect sense of pitch and timing in music . I've never had to count beats, I always just knew when a beat, or a note, should appear. I used to perform at piano recitals when I was little (some of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life, with everyone staring at me), and while most of the kids had to spend weeks or months practicing, I just needed a day or so to learn a piece of music and make it my own. Nowadays, I go to a lot of rock and punk concerts and whenever a band plays a new song, I can pick up on and predict the beat and, for the most part, the words. While everyone is standing still, because they've never heard it before, I'm jumping around to the beat, singing the song. I F'n love concerts, because they are one of the few situations where I actually let myself scream and jump around like an idiot (alcohol definitely helps :)).

Also, the camera angle that they used when Donald was walking through his apartment, after Isabelle changed it, perfectly mimics the way that I see things when I'm over-stimulated, like in a busy night-club(which are seriously insane here in Hollywood), or shopping at a crowded store. It's a bit of a "tunnel vision" experience, where everything seems a bit off, like viewing the world through a long-distance lens that's pulling back as it's zooming in (like the scene in Jaws, where Roy Schnieder's on the beach, where he stays the same size and everything around him shifts size as he sees the shark in the water).


Overall, I liked the movie. I can see why they exaggerated certain aspects because of the need to visibly show how things feel.



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17 Oct 2008, 4:28 am

Haven't seen it.

But, if there's a guy who doesn't interact with people, who shows no overt emotions (he looks like a pillar/bastion of no emotion), doesn't actually want to interact with people (blah, who'd want to go to a social group thingy? Sayeth Daniel), and if he does talk, he will only do such when he's asking for or stating something [in the same tone of voice]; I'd relate to him.



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16 Dec 2008, 3:25 pm

Just finished reading the book. An entirely different movie played through my head as I was reading it.

The movie ignores a lot of the real-life drama in their relationship & substitutes a lot of fictional drama. If the movie had been based on the book, it would probably have been twice as long - and very likely, an even better movie.

In the book, it becomes clear that a big part of Mary's (Izzy's) personality & sensory issues are a result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It would have made her character in the movie much more complex if that had been addressed.

Things that are mentioned in both book & movie:
Jerry (Donald) as a cab driver
Mary (Izzy) as a hair dresser
Jerry's (Donald's) AS/Autism support group
The Halloween party & their costumes (although, in real life they met at the party, instead of meeting earlier & skipping the party.)
Their birds
Their date at the zoo (which, in real life, happened after Halloween.)
Mary (Izzy) telling Jerry (Donald) to never stop his obsession with numbers
Jerry's (Donald's) savant abilities with numbers
Mary's (Izzy's) savant abilities as both a composer & a painter
Mary (Izzy) as a child, "breaking records"
Jerry (Donald) as a child, being "popular" only as a mathematical savant
Mary (Izzy) as a teenager, hitchhiking (but not being raped, per se - although she mentions having a lot of sex as a teenager.)
Mary (Izzy) cleaning Jerry's (Donald's) apartment & his reaction
Mary (Izzy) getting Jerry (Donald) a job interview at a university
Mary's (Izzy's) suicide attempt (in real life, that happened after they had been married & divorced, but before they got married again)

The book shows a much more complete picture of their lives - from childhood to the present. And the thing I liked best about the book is the way they each remember the same events a bit differently - which gives a marvelous sense of perspective to their relationship. They absolutely don't sugar coat the challenges that AS introduces into a relationship, especially when both partners are Aspies.


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17 Dec 2008, 11:25 pm

Issibel ROCKS! That's totally me as a girl! LOL ;) Just picture a male version of Issabel who likes cartoonish humor (and doesn't just have that single laugh "HA!") other than that, that's totally me.

I HATE DONALD MORTIN!! !! ! Stupid Society Norm Loving Aspie!! !! !! !

I wished Issabel would give him a bloody nose right after he kept nagging about how she was a nonconformist.


I already made a Donald Mortin puppet for my show. I'm still trying to think what I should do to him in a cartoonish fashion. LOL

Couldn't build Issibel. I'm good at building ugly puppets but not good looking puppets. I was trying to build her head with a built in slear and sharp lip but it didn't look a thing like her picture, so now that puppet head I built was recycled to be Walt Disney's head LOL.

One of these days, I'll build her right. She's on my list of cool chick puppets to build, along with Pat Benatar, a Young Sarah Jessica Parker and the Butch version of Suzanne Vega. ;)



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18 Dec 2008, 11:16 am

I thought it was pretty good.



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21 Dec 2008, 4:54 am

I like this film, and yes it is exaggerated but there where still things he done that I related to.

It's one of two cheesy films that I like! (the rest suck!)



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13 Jan 2009, 10:52 pm

i loved this movie. My mannerisms resembled isabelle's. I liked the sex scene not bc im a perv but it shows people that aspies are people too. I thought it was cute how she introduced Donald to her friends at work. I am an animal lover much like her too. i didnt know it was a book until i browsed around at barnes and noble, but its on my "to read" list
as for the as/nt relationship idea for a movie..i agree that would be interesting. i was deeply in love with my first boyfriend..an air force neurotypical...
the story goes that a as teen is tired of the control her parents have over her life and she enlists in the navy to escape and serve her country
after traveling to several countries and planets( it would be cool to do this in a sci fi star trek like setting)
she meets her air force prince.. he's a nerd and athlete all in one with a slightly cynical streak. she shows him a new way of life. he learns to put others b4 himself and become more optimistic because of her. she learns to accept the world as it is flaws and all and most importantly how to communicate. both share a love of animals and adventures. they make love and its the most beautiful thing in the world but then she is sent away to cure a deadly illness in a far away planet...jeopordizing their relationship. she feels his reaction is too protective and resembles the mental abuse she suffered back home. she reveals the scars on her arms, which were self inflicted wounds from the things her parents said and she doesnt want to go back to that habit.
right before she leaves the planet, the port is raided and needs help.
despite her dismay the air force is sent in. the girl does her best to save those injured and when the guy picks her up before departure she earns the medal of honor. as the planet explodes they get back together and stay together because the only thing they have is eachother
how about that? plz comment
she comes back ok in the very end



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15 Jan 2009, 4:30 pm

I love that film, I've watched it millions of times. Although it was exxagerated a bit. I could relate more to isabel but I could sort of relate to donalds shyness.
I like donalds friend lol he's funny especially when he was talking to donald in that laundrette and he kept talking really loud.


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16 Jan 2009, 12:23 am

I've read the book, how is the movie different?


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zeichner
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16 Jan 2009, 7:47 am

Ahaseurus2000 wrote:
I've read the book, how is the movie different?

The book was written independently of the movie - and it is the actual memoir of Jerry & Mary Newport. The movie (made before the book was written) is simply based on their relationship.


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