All fiction films and documentaries are used to raise awareness about autism. However, there are many controversies that can be observed in favour or against autistic people. We can ask ourselves what image of autism and experience of autism carriers TV series and cinema give us? Is it a faithful representation of the pathology?
While watching series, films and documentaries on autism, I realized that the representation of autism in the media is mainly based on a popular image of people with autism and of autism itself. Very often these representations are based on erroneous and fantasized information, giving false ideas about the disorder. So, I therefore wanted to give you my point of view. For example, the film Rain Man (1989) was considered one of the first to be discussed about autism, and in this film the main character is a carrier of Asperger Syndrome, which is represented by a man without an intellectual disability. This high-profile image has long led people to consider people with Asperger’s as educated people with exceptional knowledge. Currently, a series entitled The Good Doctor (2017) is being broadcast in more than 110 countries around the world featuring a man with Asperger’s Disorder who is at the centre of a controversy about his legitimacy as a doctor. Again, they are trying to give a positive impression of the disorder but this time by taking into account the psychological suffering of the character with Autism. On the other hand, in 2019, a series called “Atypical” (on Netflix), shows the life of a young man with autistic disorder, who has no particular intelligence. In this series, we can say that the question of normality is outdated. Indeed, its purpose is to allow people with autistic disorders to show how they feel, and to allow those who are not autistic to relativize their own perception of the disorder. In addition, a documentary published in 2008 entitled “Elle s’appelle Sabine” by Sandrine Bonnaire on the issue of care for patients with autistic disorders provides an account of the difficulties in the psychiatric hospital environment. Also, in 2011, the documentary film « The Wall : Psychoanalysis in the face of autism » by Sophie Robert appeared, challenging an approach and orientation of psychology (psychoanalysis) and its ineffectiveness as a treatment for autism.
As you can see, the perception of Autism in the media is changing, but generally it is limited to one aspect of the pathology. We must therefore be careful in our interpretations.
- misconceptions : idées fausses – perception erronée
- therefore : faire part d’une chose
- high-profile image : image très en vue
- featuring :mettant en vedette
- to raise awareness : faire prendre conscience
France Culture (2019). Les troubles autistiques à l’écran, une histoire de points de vue. In https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/la-theorie/la-transition-culturelle-du-vendredi-18-octobre-2019
Hugo Horiot (2018). L’autisme, une chance pour la société TEDxEMLYON. In https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUdZJVde7lw
Morgane Phelep (2019). L’autisme : handicap invisible, compétences inexploitées. TEDxIMTAtlantiqueBrest. In https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q2-1jU7Pfw
Wendy Chung (2014). Autism: what we know (and we don’t know yet). In https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlMcLTqRLs