Thursday, March 12, 2009

Rainman....

That was the movie the guys at work put in this morning. For them, it is simply a movie to watch. They don't give much thought to Dustin Hoffman's character, other than to wonder how can "Rainman" do the complex calculations in seconds. This is the movie character that comes to everyone's mind when you say "Autism". The comparison offends some people in the autism world, because, you see, the Real Rainman; Kim Peek, does not actually have autism. He has what is called Agenesis of the Corpus Collosum Also, very few autistics actually possess the savant skills that are depicted in the movie. I however, do not mind Nick being compared to "Rainman". Why? Honestly, the way that "Rainman" carries himself-with his hands close to his body, head tilted slightly and looking at the sky, his gentle and innocent nature, remind me of Nick. It is exactly the same body posture. I found myself wanting to watch it so that I could soak up a part of Nick. My Nick. My little boy who stood in the middle of a soccer field, looking up to the heavens in smiling glee, completely oblivious to the swarm of a team of 7 yr olds headed right for him. The whole team parted and went on each side of Nick as he just stood there, laughing at the sky. I laugh at Rainman's little oddities, and find myself getting very upset at Cruise's character for being so impatient and harsh with Raymond. Others watch the movie and simply turn it off when it is over. It is finished for them as soon as the closing credits roll. The movie is not finished for us. The credits are not going to roll and then it will all be over. Most people only have an hour and a half watching someone they presume to be autistic. We have a lifetime. The general public does not see what all goes into living with this 24/7. If you'd like to see another autistic character that is more true to life, try watching the movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". Gilbert's brother, Arnie; was autistic. Arnie also reminded me of Nick. The echoing language that Arnie does, and some of his mannerisms are like Nick's. I also find myself loving Arnie. The movie "Mozart and the Whale" is another good one. Josh Hartnett's character is obsessed with numbers. Like Nick, he also plants himself in front of the microwave to watch the numbers. But, the general public will associate Nick with the movie "Rainman". They will ask me what his special talent is; and I will say "He can make my heart smile". That's not such a bad thing.