Josh Hartnett's Mole

Here’s a lovely GIF where the mole gets swallowed by the whale, only to re-emerge and then get swallowed again. And again and again and again...

I can post this photo everyday. The mole at its best.

I said I’d write about Mozart and The Whale but then life interfered. Believe it or not, I have one :D 

Also instead of reading a word of mine, read the reviews of those on the spectrum. Because ultimately I am an able bodied neurotypical person who is very interested in discourses and politics around bodies and disability but who does not have any specialization about the Autism spectrum.

First, you need to read Caroline Narby’s critique because unlike other reviews, here the film is taken to task not only for its portrayal of Asperger’s but also the kind of gender dynamics it espouses. Narby focuses on the problematic relationship at the center of the film and rightfully rips it apart for its gender politics and its ugly insinuation that people on the spectrum should/can only be with their own kind.

Rob Wood’s guest post on Axia-ASD mainly criticizes the film for the cliché portrayal of those on the spectrum -- to the extent that the main character reads more like a bundle of traits rather than a rounded person. Wood found the movie watchable but flawed, while commending the important choice to have autistic characters carry out the entire narrative of the film.

Gavin Bollard’s review similarly found the portrayal of Asperger’s in the film to be very superficial and wanting in subtlety, “as if the creative team found a book on autism and Aspergers syndrome and interpreted it literally.” The review is not all negative though as the author appreciated the questions the film raises about fitting in & normality although that gesture alone might not compensate for the negative portrayal of life on the spectrum according to Bollard.

Another critique finds the film to be stuck between rom-com and drama, failing at both. The reviewer, nevertheless, found the main character to be an accurate representation that hit close to home and thought JH’s portrayal was spot on.

Alex’s review for the Wrong Planet is a very positive one. The film took the author to personal territory with truthful and well-researched characters. Alex’s one caveat is that the film might actually be too ASD-specific to reach a wide audience and that it is not a public awareness raising film, or one that portrays those on the spectrum as being “cool”.

A.J. Mahari’s review is a completely positive one which finds the film to be inspirational and educational. Mahari also found the part of the movie that raises a discussion of normality to be the most compelling.

Last but not least, do read the Autism Anthropologist’s review. Ben Belek is not on the spectrum but has been studying the spectrum and neurological difference from an anthropological point of view. Belek found the rom-com format refreshing because generally every discourse regarding the spectrum is shrouded in extreme solemnity. Like Wood, Belek also praises the filmic choice to have all the characters in the film to be characters on the spectrum. While the author found representations problematic, they also positively note that the film reads like a mediocre rom-com about people who happen to be autistic without making a big deal out of itself. Finally Belek offers an interesting discussion about normality vs. typicality which I recommend checking out.

All in all, the reviews are mixed but there seems to be more or less consensus on problematic representations of people and life on the spectrum in the movie. On the positive side, having only neurodiverse characters and the discussion of normality, seems to weigh in.

That’s it for tonight. More (and mole!) tomorrow.

Edit: Then I found a very different perspective here on Tumblr focusing on Isabelle’s character as one that reflects the particular gendered challenges women with Asperger’s face:

Isabelle Sorenson is a problematic character however it’s this very problematic nature that highlights some serious issues autistic women face. A majority of autistic women are diagnosed later than their male counterparts. As a result many of them don’t receive early support or life-long intervention. Autistic women are more likely to be abused by parents, caregivers and strangers than their neurotypical peers resulting in autistic women being more likely to develop comorbid mental illness than their male counterparts. Such women, who already face difficulty forming attachments and relationships, contend with a difficulty in an ability to trust as well as understand healthy relationships and boundaries. Isabelle Sorenson is a revealing character whose behaviour touches on all these issues and, hopefully, the audience watching her can come away from the film with a desire to change these dire circumstances autistic women live in.

Please read the rest of this review here.

Last but not least: I stumbled upon a sound-byte of Josh Hartnett who was apparently one of the producers? of the film (or at any rate very passionate about the project getting off the ground). It appears that Josh and his mole were very upset that the producers eventually took control of the film away from the director in post-production stage and turned what was supposed to be a more dramatic endeavor into a quirky rom-com (which explains all the mixed reviews and certain things that work and do not work about the film). They even released the film in some places with the VERY offensive title “Crazy in Love.” Ugh :/

The main characters and story were loosely based on the real-life relationship of Jerry Newport and Mary Meinel. It seems that Jerry Newport was consulted during filming and hearing about the butchered version of the film he expressed that he was just happy that it was going to be made in any form. This broke my heart into a thousand pieces :(

& Outside this t-shirt lives a beautiful mole.

Later today I'll be posting about Mozart and the Whale. Had A LOT of issues with it.

First a general rant: Why do able bodied & neurotypical actors insist on exploiting disability, neuroatypicality and mental illness for oscar- & other award-baiting? There is no excuse. Just stop.

You think this is a way to prove your acting chops? It is not. A good actor is a good actor is a good actor.

A good actor will fuck your shit up in a one minute cameo, with one look, one sigh, a single line delivered to perfection. No need for star vehicles, no need for four hour long arthouse movies. And certainly NO need to exploit already vulnerable communities via clumsy, harmful, stereotypical representations.

You are not interested in proving your acting chops so much but you mean well, you're goody good shoes? Then stop. Say no to these roles. Instead, use whatever platform you have to promote the voices of disabled and neuroatypical communities.