By Bianca Garner
Fred Durst’s film “The Fanatic” is an absolute dud of a movie; it’s a poorly written, poorly shot and poorly acted film. The film earned just $3,153 from 52 theaters in the U.S. on its opening day, making it a US box-office failure. However, the film’s biggest crime is the depiction of autism and reinforcing negative stereotypes of those who have an autistic spectrum condition. In his review for RogertEbert.com, Brian Tallerico describes how “The Fanatic hates fans. It hates actors. It hates tourists, shop owners, and servants. It really, really hates autistic people.” It is a film that presents us with an autistic individual who becomes progressively more mentally unhinged and violent as the narrative unfolds. Although the character of Moose (played by an over-the-top John Travolta) is never referred to as ‘autistic’ his character certainly displays many of the traits associated with autism. As Gary M.Kramer discusses in his review for Salon, “The film suggests Moose is on the autism spectrum, but Travolta overacts at every opportunity, magnifying every emotion and gestures, such as Moose's penchant to rock back and forth.” Many of us probably have heard of autism, but do we know how to define it? According to the NHS website, “Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people. Autism is a spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different. Autistic people can have any level of intelligence.” Common signs of those with autism included having difficulty being able to communicate with others, having extreme anxiety in social situations, taking things very literally (people with autism struggle with understanding sarcasm), and having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes. It is clear that Moose has social impairments; he doesn’t cope well in social settings and this is shown in his interactions with other characters, especially in a public setting. Other indicators of Moose having a neurodevelopmental condition, is his difficulty understanding or showing an understanding of other people’s feelings or his own feelings. It is also clear that the character of Moose gets very upset by minor changes and has a routine, this is shown by his reaction to the news of his idol Hunter not turning up to a planned event. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Travolta states that “Moose is a true fan of his favorite artist, and he has a simple quest in life, and that is to collect memorabilia from his favorite artist. If he can’t, he gets upset, and because he’s slightly, maybe, on the special needs spectrum, to some degree, he doesn’t always see the reality that is happening, and because of that he gets in trouble.” So, there is an underlying amount of evidence which points to Moose having a spectrum disorder. Durst and fellow writer Dave Berkerman seem to indicate that Moose’s neurodevelopmental disorder is what leads to his violent behavior, and while those with autism do make impulsive decisions, and have obsessive tendencies, they tend to inflict violence towards themselves rather than others and this is a reaction to anxiety and being frustrated. Travolta’s performance only reinforces the fact that Hollywood and society have a flawed understanding of autism. Sadly, “The Fanatic” isn’t the first (and probably won’t be the last) film to depict autism in such a negative light. The representation of autism on screen is something that I am quite passionate about as my cousin has autism and after spending a great deal of time with him, I can see how poorly autism is represented on the big screen. The word ‘autism’ is applied so broadly in media that it is hard to define. According to the National Autistic Society,” over 99% of people have heard of autism, but only 16% of autistic people feel the public understand them.” They created the Too Much Information campaign in order to challenge myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes. However, according to the National Autistic society “truly transforming public understanding of autism is a long-term challenge and one that requires sustained activity over many years." Perhaps the most well-known autistic character would be Dustin Hofmman’s Raymond in “Rain Man” (1988), and as discussed by Karl Knights for The Guardian, “Before Rain Man, there was no popular conception of what autism looked like, among the public or on-screen. At that point autism was an abstraction, understood only by dedicated parents or specialized clinicians.” However, “Rain Man” actually hindered the public’s perception of autism, as Knights states in his article, “The idea that all autistic people are geniuses, or that they all have savant abilities such as extraordinary memory, is a myth, a myth that is largely alive and kicking today due to Rain Man.” A study published in the journal Psychiatry Research looked at on-screen representations of characters with a stated autism diagnosis like in the movies “Adam” or “Mozart and the Whale” as well as characters such as Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory” whose behaviour suggests that he is on the spectrum (e.g. he has an inability to connect to people on an emotional basis, and demonstrates obsessive behavior). The analysis of fictional characters from 26 films and four TV shows, found that portrayals of autism are often unrealistic. Autism can differ from one individual to the next, and if Hollywood only portrays autistic individuals as being high-functioning geniuses or violent, deranged psychotics, it only helps to hinder public awareness of the disorder. In order to create further understanding of autism spectrum disorders, then we need more autistic characters on our screens. According to Sue Fletcher-Watson of the University of Edinburgh who worked on the study. “These characters should reflect the diversity we see in real life, rather than being artificially built from a textbook diagnosis of somebody with autism.” Research indicates that to use a single term to describe it autism only reinforces society’s aversion to confronting the realities of autism. Aside from having more autistic characters on-screen, we should also encourage to have more autistic actors on-screen rather than have actors like John Travolta portray autistic characters. One can only hope that we can somehow move past films like “The Fanatic”. It is an absolutely dismal film, and I would recommend avoiding it at all costs. Travolta, Durst, and Berkerman should all be ashamed. Please, do not believe that this film’s portrayal is a truthful depiction of an individual with autism, and those with autism are so much more than just a diagnosis. You can follow Bianca and hear more of her thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @the_filmbee
Comments
|
BEST PICTURE The Power Of The Dog (33) - AACTA, AFCA, AWFJ, BAFTA, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GG, HFCS, KCFCC, LEJA, LFCC, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCS, OFTA, PCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, UFCA, VFCC Belfast (7) - AARP, IFCA, IPA, LVFCS, PFCS, TIFF, WAFCA CODA (6) - CIC, HCA, NFCS, OSCAR, PGA, SAG Drive My Car (6) - BSFC, LAFCA, NSFC, NYFCC, SFCS, TFCA Licorice Pizza (5) - AFCC, GFCA, NBR, OFCC, StLFCA The Green Knight (2) - NTFCA, PCA Happening (2) - ICS, VENICE The Harder They Fall (2) - AAFCA, NAACP King Richard (2) - BFCC, BRA The Lost Daughter (2) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT After Love - BIFA Cyrano - DFCS Last Night In Soho - HFCS Mass - IFJA Pig - GWNYFCA Quo Vadis, Aida? - EFA Tick, Tick...Boom! - IPA Titane - CANNES The Tragedy of Macbeth - CACF West Side Story - GG The Worst Person In The World - IFSC BEST DIRECTOR Jane Campion (52) - AARP, AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BAFTA, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, DGA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GG, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, ICS, IFCA, IFCS, IFJA, IFSC, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, LEJA, LFCC, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, TFCA, UFCA, VENICE, WAFCA Denis Villeneuve (6) - AACTA, BFCC, CACF, HCA, NTFCA, VFCC Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (3) - BSFC, NSFC, SFCS Guillermo del Toro (2) - HFCS, NFCS Maggie Gyllenhaal (2) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT Jeymes Samuel (2) - AAFCA, BRA Paul Thomas Anderson - NBR Kenneth Branagh - PFCS Leos Carax - CANNES Alex Khan - BIFA Shaka King - NAACP Lin-Manuel Miranda - DFCS Steven Spielberg - LVFCS Jasmila Zbanic - EFA BEST ACTRESS Kristen Stewart (27) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GALECA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFCS, IFJA, IPA, MFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NTFCA, OAFFC, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA, WFCC Jessica Chastain (8) - CCA, DFCS, HFCS, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, OSCAR, SAG Olivia Colman (8) - AWFJ, GOTHAM, KCFCC, LFCC, OFCS, SFBAFCC, TFCA, VFCC Alana Haim (7) - AFCC, BSFC, COFCA, FFCC, GFCA, IPA, OFCC Penelope Cruz (5) - LAFCA, LEJA, NSFC, SDFCS, VENICE Tessa Thompson (4) - BFCC, BRA, CIC, NYFCO Nicole Kidman (3) - AACTA, AARP, GG Renate Reinsve (3) - CACF, CANNES, IFSC Lady Gaga (2) - IFCA, NYFCC Jennifer Hudson (2) - AAFCA, NAACP Joanna Scanlan (2) - BAFTA, BIFA Rachel Zegler (2) - GG, NBR Caitriona Balfe - SDFCS Jasna Duricic - EFA Lee Hye-yeong - ICS Emilia Jones - UFCA Taylour Paige - SPIRIT Agathe Rousselle - AFCA BEST ACTOR Benedict Cumberbatch (26) - AACTA, AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC Nicolas Cage (13) - AFCA, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCS, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NTFCA, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA Will Smith (12) - AAFCA, AARP, BAFTA, BFCC, BRA, CCA, GG, NAACP, NBR, OSCAR, SAG, WFCC Andrew Garfield (11) - CACF, CIC, GG, HCA, IFCA, IFSC, IPA, LEJA, OAFFC, VFCC, WAFCA Hidetoshi Nishijima (2) - BSFC, NSFC Simon Rex (2) - LAFCA, SPIRIT Adeel Akhtar - BIFA John Arcilla - VENICE Peter Dinklage - DFCS Adam Driver - FFCC Frankie Faison - GOTHAM Oscar Isaac - IFJA Caleb Landry Jones - CANNES Jack Lowden - ICS Denzel Washington - TFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Ariana DeBose (21) - BAFTA, CCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GG, HCA, LAFCA, LEJA, LVFCS, MFCA, OAFFC, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SAG, SFCS Kirsten Dunst (11) - AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, IPA, NDFS, OFCC, OFCS, PCC, SEFCA, SFBAFCC Ruth Negga (11) - CFCA, CIC, COFCA, GWNYFCA, ICS, LFCC, NSFC, NYFCO, PFCC, SDFCS, SPIRIT Ann Dowd (9) - CACF, HFCS, IFSC, KCFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, StLFCA, UFCA, VFCC Aunjanue Ellis (8) - AAFCA, AARP, BFCC, BRA, CACF, NBR, NFCS, WAFCA Jessie Buckley (2) - BSFC, TFCA Caitríona Balfe - IFCA Judi Dench - AACTA Gaby Hoffmann - IFJA Kathryn Hunter - NYFCC Regina King - NAACP Marlee Matlin - HFCS Vinette Robinson - BIFA Tilda Swinton - NTFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Kodi Smit-McPhee (31) - AACTA, AFCA, AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, HFCS, IFCA, IPA, LAFCA, LFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PFCC, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Troy Kotsur (15) - BAFTA, BSFC, CCA, GOTHAM, HCA, HFCS, IFJA, LEJA, LVFCS, MFCA, NFCS, OSCAR, SAG, SPIRIT, VFCC Bradley Cooper (4) - AFCC, CACF, GFCA, TFCA Ciarán Hinds (3) - KCFCC, NBR, PFCS Jeffrey Wright (3) - CIC, NTFCA, PCA Jason Isaacs (2) - IFSC, SDFCS Talid Ariss - BIFA Jon Bernthal - DFCS Anders Danielsen Lie (2) - ICS, NSFC Colman Domingo - BRA Mike Faist - PCC Corey Hawkins - AAFCA Daniel Kaluuya - NAACP Jared Leto - AARP Vincent Lindon - LAFCA J.K. Simmons - DFCS BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Power Of The Dog (33) - AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GALECA, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, LEJA, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PFCC, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, WAFCA Drive My Car (11) - AFCA, BSFC, CANNES, ICS, IFJA, IFSC, LAFCA, LFCC, NSFC, SFCS, TFCA CODA (7) - BAFTA, HCA, HFCS, IPA, OSCAR, UFCA, WGA The Lost Daughter (4) - GOTHAM, SPIRIT, USC, VENICE West Side Story (2) - AARP, KCFCC Nightmare Alley - NFCS Passing - BRA The Tragedy Of Macbeth - NBR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Licorice Pizza (12) - AFCC, BAFTA, CFCA, COFCA, GFCA, KCFCC, NCFCA, NDFS, NYFCC, OFCC, PCC, SEFCA Belfast (9) - AWFJ, CCA, GG, HFCS, IPA, LVFCS, OSCAR, PFCS, WAFCA Mass (6) - CACF, HCA, IFJA, OFTA, SDFCS, StLFCA Pig (5) - AFCA, CIC, DFCS, OAFFC, OFCS Don't Look Up (4) - AAFCA, DFCS, VFCC, WGA C'mon C'mon (2) - LEJA, SFBAFCC Being The Ricardos - AACTA Benediction - ICS The French Dispatch - FFCC A Hero - NBR Judas And The Black Messiah - NAACP King Richard - BFCC The Mitchells vs. The Machines - UFCA The Worst Person In The World - IFSC BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Dune (22) - ASC, BAFTA, BFCC, CACF, DFWFCA, GFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, IPA, LEJA, MFCA, NTFCA, OAFFC, OFCC, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, WAFCA The Power Of The Dog (15) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSC, BSFC, CCA, CFCA, FFCC, LAFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OFCS, StLFCA The Tragedy Of Macbeth (7) - BRA, COFCA, KCFCC, MCFCA, NBR, PCC, SFBAFCC The Green Knight (6) - AFCA, CIC, GWNYFCA, NSFC, SFCS, UFCA Nightmare Alley (2) - NFCS, PFCC West Side Story (2) - LVFCS, NYFCC Benediction - ICS Boiling Point - BIFA Great Freedom - EFA Passing - SPIRIT Spencer - IFSC BEST COSTUME DESIGN Cruella (12) - BAFTA, CCA, CIC, HCA, IFSC, LEJA, LVFCS, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, SDFCS, StLFCA Dune (5) - MFCA, NCFCA, OFCS, PCA, PFCS Ammonite - EFA Cyrano - IPA The Green Knight - SFCS The Harder They Fall - BRA House Of Gucci - HFCS Spencer - CFCA The Souvenir Part II - BIFA BEST FILM EDITING Dune (8) - AFCA, BOFCA, IPA, MFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PFCS, SFCS The Power Of The Dog (6) - AWFJ, GWNYFCA, LEJA, NDFS, OFCS, SFBAFCC West Side Story (5) - CCA, CIC, COFCA, LVFCS, UFCA Last Night In Soho (4) - HCA, HFCS, MCFCA, StLFCA The French Dispatch (2) - CFCA, NCFCA Tick, Tick...Boom! (2) - ACE, WAFCA The Harder They Fall - BRA In The Heights - SDFCS King Richard - ACE No Time To Die - BAFTA The Souvenir Part II - BIFA Summer Of Soul - LAFCA Titane - IFSC Unclenching The Fists - EFA The Velvet Underground - BSFC What Do We See When We Look At The Sky? - ICS Zola - SPIRIT BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (7) - BAFTA, CCA, CIC, HCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR Cruella (5) - HFCS, IFSC, LEJA, MUAHS, NCFCA Being The Ricardos - MUAHS Coming 2 America - MUAHS The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain - BIFA Dune - MFCA Titane - EFA BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Dune (23) - AFCC, BAFTA, BOFCA, CACF, CCA, CIC, DFWFCA, FFCC, GFCA, GG, HCA, HMMA, IPA, MCFCA, NCFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA The Power Of The Dog (14) - AFCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, NDFS, OFCC, OFCS, PCC, PFCC, SFBAFCC, UFCA Spencer (4) - BSFC, GWNYFCA, LVFCS, MFCA Parallel Mothers (3) - HMMA, IFSC, LAFCA Encanto (2) - LEJA, SCL The Harder They Fall (2) - BRA, HFCS The Addams Family 2 - HMMA Ali & Ava - BIFA Annette - ICS C'mon C'mon - HMMA Don't Look Up - HMMA Great Freedom - EFA The Green Knight - SCL Julia - HMMA A Quiet Place: Part II - HMMA BEST ORIGINAL SONG No Time To Die (18) - CACF, CCA, CIC, DFCS, GFCA, GG, HFCS, HFCS, HMMA, IFSC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, PFCS, SCL Encanto (3) - GMS, IPA, LEJA Bruised - BRA CODA - HMMA Don't Look Up - SCL The Harder They Fall - IFCA King Richard - HCA PAW Patrol: The Movie - HMMA Rebel Hearts - HMMA BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Dune (14) - ADG, BAFTA, CCA, FFCC, GFCA, HFCS, LEJA, MCFCA, NCFCA, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, SDSA, WAFCA Nightmare Alley (8) - ADG, CIC, HCA, MFCA, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFBAFCC The French Dispatch (6) - CFCA, IFSC, NDFS, OFCS, SDSA, StLFCA No Time To Die (2) - ADG, SDSA The Souvenir Part II (2) - BIFA, ICS The Tragedy Of Macbeth (2) - BRA, IPA Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar - LAFCA Being The Ricardos - SDSA The Green Knight - SFCS Natural Light - EFA West Side Story - LVFCS BEST SOUND Dune (13) - BAFTA, CAS, IFSC, LEJA, MCFCA, MFCA, MPSE, NCFCA, NDFS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, SDFCS Boiling Point - BIFA The Innocents - EFA Last Night In Soho - HFCS Memoria - ICS Tick, Tick...Boom! - IPA BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Dune (25) - BAFTA, CCA, CFCA, DFCS, FFCC, HCA, HFCS, IFSC, IPA, LEJA, LVFCS, MCFCA, MFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCA, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, VES Spider-Man: No Way Home (2) - CIC, HFCS Dashcam - BIFA Lamb - EFA BEST ANIMATED FEATURE The Mitchells vs. The Machines (33) - AFCA, AFCC, ANNIE, AWFJ, BFCC, BOFCA, CACF, CCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, KCFCC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, PCA, PCC, PFCS, SEFCA, StLFCA, WAFCA Encanto (13) - AWFJ, BAFTA, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, IFCA, IPA, LEJA, MFCA, NAACP, NBR, NDFS, OSCAR Flee (12) - BSFC, CFCA, DFCS, EFA, GALECA, IFJA, IFSC, LAFCA, PFCC, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA The Crossing - ICS Luca - SDFCS Raya And The Last Dragon - NTFCA BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Drive My Car (34) - AFCA, AFCC, AWFJ, BAFTA, CCA, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GFCA, GG, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFJA, IFSC, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, MCFCA, NCFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, OFTA, OSCAR, PCC, SEFCA, SFCS, SPIRIT, StLFCA, TFCA, WAFCA Flee (4) - BIFA, LVFCS, NDFS, UFCA The Hand Of God (4) - BFCC, FFCC, HFCS, PFCS The Worst Person In The World (4) - BOFCA, NYFCC, PCA, VFCC Parallel Mothers (3) - CIC, LEJA, SDFCS A Hero (2) - CACF, NBR African America - BRA Lamb - NTFCA Petite Maman - LAFCA Sheep Without A Shepherd - AARP Titane - PFCC BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Summer Of Soul (45) - AAFCA, AARP, AFCA, AWFJ, BAFTA, BFCC, BRA, BSFC, CCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, HFCS, IFCA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, LFCC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, OFCS, OSCAR, PCA, PCC, PFCC, PFCS, PGA, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, SPIRIT, TFCA, WAFCA Flee (20) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, CACF, CEH, DFCS, EFA, GALECA, GOTHAM, IDA, IFSC, LEJA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFTA, StLFCA, VFCC Attica - DGA Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power - NAACP The First Wave - UFCA Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time - IFJA Mr. Bachmann And His Class - ICS Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche - BIFA AuthorsNicole Ackman Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|