Mozart and the Whale

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I just watched this movie and loved it.

I don't know any Aspies (yet) so I am curious about how the two main characters 'function' socially compared to...............us>

How do your social 'skills' compare to Donald and Isabelle?

Like Isabelle, I am very childlike and can be bizarre about what I like, like the way she wanted to decorate the house. I also blurt things out like Isabelle.

However, two people I know well watched the film and said my social skills were still better than Isabelle, although they saw a lot of Isabelle in me.

Although I am a 'dude' I actually saw a lot of me in Isabelle.

There were times when she could have probably passed as an extroverted NT.

I thoroughly identified with Donald's tendency to become mesmerized with things, especially in the middle of conversations/lecturing.

Mine is good as Isabelle's. So chatty and outgoing. But I would not be able to ask Donald out, I'm so shy and at least she wasn't.

About the same. When my mom saw it she said that she thought i was somewhere in between those two, because Isabelle seems a lot more functional and stuff than i am, but i can speak to people better than Donald and i definitely don't bring up my special interests as often as he does with the numbers. Isabelle seems a lot more normal than i do and not as anxious as i am.. Sometimes i get kind of like Donald, with the shifting weight from side to size and seeming really nervous, but only when i get really stressed, so i don't usually seem outwardly bad as him with that stuff.. I can usually appear at least somewhat cool and collected. I'm messy to pretty much the same extent as Donald, and i have a menagerie of unusual pets just like both of them do, heh. But, yeah, my social abilities are right around like how theirs are, but it's a mixture. I do take things literally and misunderstand what people mean quite often, and some of the things that Donald ended up taking too literally sounded to me like things that i would say, and others seemed like exaggerated things i would have picked up on. But, all in all, i'd say i'm on the same social level, with my own mix of aspie characteristics.

I didn't really like the movie, but only because I don't like Romantic Comedies. I identify more like donald, sort of. I feel like he seems to feel, but I think I cover it up ALOT better than he does, but if I didn't have the ability to present myself a certain way, I would come across as somewhat like him I suppose.

The poll was a little tricky, since Donald and Isabelle's levels were different.

If you do a search on the title of the film, you will find a lot of threads about it. Most here seemed to not like it. I would say I found a lot to like about it, but was disappointed overall. I was hoping some aspies who were a little higher functioning would be represented. I am hoping the new film "Adam" will be more like that. From what I have seen (the Trailer) and read, it will be. Has anyone seen it? Any opinions on how the 2 films compare?

I must admit that this kind of movie (romantic comedy) is not something that would normally interest me, I only watched it because they were Aspies. I didn’t like the all that much, but it was interesting to see how they portrayed Aspies, and the diversity of Aspergers. I would have liked to see a series based on the support group.

I found Isabelle annoying. Her abrupts “Hah!”s seemed more like Tourette’s to me, and what was the deal with her ambiguity towards Donald? Surely you either like someone or you don’t? I didn’t recognise myself in her, except for liking animals + and when he called her she said that she didn’t pick up the phone since she didn’t know what to say.

I recognised Donald’s awkwardness and the way he looked in front of him during his job interview, but not his math tirades or skills, nor his pursuit of the girl; I would never call someone 8 times.

Since they both went to a support group, flirted with each other, sought each other out, went out on a date and kept seeing each other, I guess I’d score lower than them, since I haven’t done either.

^Agreed, Isabelle seems like she also has tourettes, it's not normal for an aspie to repeat a sound like that, as for Donald, he seems to have a complex asperger, he displays signs of severe autism at several points in the movie, but at the same time he is successful, has a job and a CAR? (He only had the car in the beginning of the movie). The director of the movie was also the one behind the Elling trilogy, which are far greater movies, but still I doubt that he has enough knowledge to make movies like that, and something misses, just look at the movie Ben X, it's a great movie, even though he had HFA or mid-functioning autism, aspies don't behave the way he does, Ben X was much better, it deserves an award for one of the greatest movies in it's genre, even though it's belgian and isn't dubbed, Mozart and the wahle should be seen before seeing any other movies like that, it's not that good.

It seemed like to me Isabelle had Bipolar because of her mood changes. No I don't act like that but I can relate to how she mothered Donald. I was like that with my first ex because he acted like a child but at least Donald was motivated to work when she got him the job and he didn't make up excuses to not do things. My ex did.

About what she wanted to do the home, typical women. Lot of women do those things, aspie or not. They like take over the house decorating it wanting to make changes to it. But I think if they want to do some renovation, they discuss it with their partner first, not go ahead with the idea without consulting them first. Same as when they want to paint walls or wallpaper it.

In regards to how realistically the characters are depicted, don't forget that the two main characters are based on real people. Donald's character is based on Jerry Neuhouse (spell?) who has posted here in the past and says in interviews that he and Isabelle are realistically portrayed. Every aspie is unique and there could be co-morbid conditions.

I consider mine to be better.

I am similar to Donald in function level. I liked the movie but kinda got the impression the director had a checklist of aspie traits and each character had to demonstrate each one and then make a point of talking about it which was very unrealistic.

Well, it is Halloween next Saturday.

I am going to a Halloween party with my family.

I won't be going as a Whale but I will probably be going as Mr. Bean!

That way I don't have to say much.

How about you?