Gulsabah Palinko explores representations of autism in seven recent films, considering their impact on public perceptions.
The general public’s awareness of autism has increased in recent years. This is due both to an increase in diagnosis and a proliferation of media representations of the condition. According to estimates from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 36 children in the United States was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD) in 2020 (ASD is the term used in the DSM-5, the standard for classifying ‘mental disorders’ in the USA). This has undoubtedly led to more public discussions and coverage in media and subsequently increased representations of autistic characters in novels, autobiographies, TV series and movies. There were 35 films representing autism produced during the decade 2000-2009, whereas the figure was only one between 1970 and 1979 (Garner 2014, 66). This proliferation of autism representations may seem a positive tendency at first glance, since the power of media in educating the public is undeniable: media is considered the public’s most significant source of information on psychiatric disorders (Nairn et al. 2001), and while autism is a neurobehavioural condition rather than a mental illness, there is often a conflation of these in popular culture. Studies indicate that “much of what society at large learns” of autism is produced by representations in novels, TV series, movies or autobiographies rather than “from policies and personal interactions” (Draaisma 2009, 1475; Mitchell and Snyder 2000, 166). Thus, the increase in public awareness of this condition could potentially enhance inclusion and encourage treatment of autistic people without stigma.
However, on a close examination of American films, it becomes evident that autism is largely portrayed as a one-dimensional and homogenous condition. This means that films tend to overrepresent certain features of autism, such as savantism, which reduces the complexity of autism and creates stereotypes. Films portraying autism as synonymous with savantism lead to the misconception that all autistic people possess savant abilities. This turns the condition into an object of cultural fascination and results in cultural narratives of autism which lack “autistic subjectivity” and characterize “autistic presence by a succession of stereotypes” (Murray 2008, 45). Trying to cater to the cultural fascination with autism, films often follow a consistent plot, almost like a formula, and “whatever the film genre, the recipe for including an autistic character remains unfortunately limited” (Baker 2007, 231).
Looking for a shift in recent filmic portrayals of autistic characters
This tendency of reinforcing negative stereotypes about autism through filmic representations and unnecessarily sensationalizing the condition has been openly criticized both by the academic field and autistic and neurodiversity community. In the light of the push by these communities for more accurate representations of autism, I set out to investigate whether there has been any shift in portrayals of autistic characters in entertainment media, specifically in the seven most recent films about autism: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Daldry 2011), White Frog (Lee 2012), Jack of the Red Hearts (Grillo 2015), The Accountant (O’Connor 2016), Keep the Change (Israel 2017), Loop (Milsom 2020) and Music (Sia 2021). I explicitly analyzed if these films follow the same plot that has dominated cinematic depictions of autism from previous years and whether autistic presence in these films is characterized by stereotypes.
Analyses of these films reveal that six out of seven contain misleading portrayals of autism. Three films –Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, White Frog and The Accountant – feature autistic characters with savant skills. All three characters with these skills, Oskar, Nick and Christian, are male and are the protagonists of the films. In all three films the plot is built around the autistic characters’ savant skills so strictly that without these skills neither the characters nor the film would have any story to tell. It is also interesting to note that all three characters who have savant skills are male and, in comparison to the female autistic characters in the films discussed below, are portrayed as relatively normatively self-sufficient, and the degree of their dependence on neurotypical people for existence greatly differs from the female characters’. This aligns with the “special triangle” pattern, which is prevalent in overrepresentation of savant skills, where extraordinary mathematical skills are dominantly associated with autistic men (Baron-Cohen 2015).
In contrast to the three male autistic characters who have savant skills and lead relatively independent lives, the three female autistic characters in Jack of the Red Hearts, Loop and Music are portrayed as completely opposite. All the characters, Glory, Music and Renee, are presented as failing to meet normative social expectations around communication and self-sufficiency, and are dependent on others for meeting their basic physical needs. Although Oskar, Nick and Christian are portrayed as reliant on neurotypical people for their emotional and sensory safety, they are still able to communicate their needs, physically take care of themselves and be present enough in the world around them to establish meaningful relationships with other people. The female characters on the other hand are portrayed as unaware of the world around them and extremely vulnerable. Glory will eat dirt, or wander away and climb up dangerous heights, without adult supervision. Music will eat used chewing gum attached under benches in the park or wet herself without supervision and strict routine. Glory and Music are partially non-verbal and although they can utter some words here and there, they are unable to hold a conversation that would be recognized as such within ableist norms. The characters are similar in so many ways that swapping them in the films would not disturb the filmic plot. Although the film Loop is relatively short in duration it represents a female autistic character, Renee, that is highly similar to Glory and Music, although unlike Glory and Music, Renee is completely non-verbal. All the characters are also in a similar age range, between 11 and 13, and are shown to have fixations which isolate them from the world surrounding them. This implies that autism is one-dimensional and, although it exhibits itself as exceptional mathematical skills in males, in females it exhibits as powerlessness, infantilization and intellectual disability.
Gender problems in portrayals of autistic characters
Portrayal of autistic characters in terms of savantism and gender is problematic for several reasons. First, only a small percentage of autistic people have savantism. Portraying autism as synonymous to savantism leads to a misconception that all autistic people possess savant abilities, which is a misrepresentation of the condition. Furthermore, featuring savant or supernatural skills as an essential component of the condition spectacularizes autism (Baker 2007, 234). Spectacularization of autism represents autism to the general public as a collection of symptoms that can be useful for society, thus completely disregarding that autistic people are individuals with largely heterogenous needs, interests and capacities.
Second, representing autistic males as exceptionally gifted and women as powerless leads to gendered stereotypes of autism and isn’t supported by science. A study that looked at core symptoms of those diagnosed with ASD in terms of gender and age difference has found that “females with ASD show less severe symptoms of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors than males, whereas there appear to be no gender differences in the domain of social behavior and communication” (Van Wijngaarden-Cremers et al. 2013, 634). This implies that autistic girls are less likely to have “preoccupation with a narrow interest, inflexibility about routines or repetitive motions such as hand-flapping” (Digitale 2015). As we can see from the portrayal of the characters of Glory, Music and Renee, filmic representations of autistic girls create a completely different picture.
Misrepresentations of autistic women in such ways lead to gendered stereotypes and have a limiting and destructive impact on female autistic people. First of all, it means that autistic girls who do not fit the stereotypes may get overlooked, diagnosed late or misdiagnosed. For example, according to an article in The Transmitter, an autistic woman, Maya, had nine misdiagnoses including borderline personality disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoid personality disorder over a span of 10 years, before the age of 21. Although Maya was normatively sociable, she struggled with anxiety and depression because as a teenager as she found it challenging to understand and keep up with the rules of social relationships. Since she was misdiagnosed so many times, she never truly understood what was going on until her diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome (a term used for a form of autism until 2013) was concluded. Referred to as “lost girls” or “hiding in a plain sight”, Maya is one the many autistic females who have a similar story to share (Mandavilli 2015).
Representations remain problematic – except in independent films
Analysis of the findings reveals that contemporary films don’t tend to deviate from historically common autism tropes and narrowly focused representations. Films continue to convey similar messages about autism and overrepresentations of features such as savantism remain unchanged. Overlap of thematic patterns and almost identically depicted characters indicate that autism is still regarded as a rigid pattern detached from human experience in films and is rather used as an accessory to enhance the character.
On a positive note, the study also discovered that a movement of independent films with autistic characters who tell their stories without much filmic manipulation is emerging. Unlike the other six films, the independently made low-budget film, Keep the Change, strove to challenge stereotypes and did not follow dominant narratives of autism. The plot circled around autistic characters and showed their individual experiences with life and their interactions with others and the environment. However, filmic representations of autism in mainstream movies remain problematic with a significant room for improvement and adjustment.
About the author
Gulsabah Palinko is a recent graduate from the University of Southern Denmark, American Studies MA program. Her MA thesis studied cultural representations of autism in seven contemporary American films and interrogated whether proliferation of media representations has resulted in moving away from the cultural fascination with the condition towards more accurate and authentic portrayals.
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