25/07/2011
Daniel Engelke
Film Monthly
It seemed like the world was against me seeing Neurotypical. It had been a blistering hot day only to be followed by an equally heated evening. As I was walking to the outdoor screening, rain started to come down in torrents. I headed to the high school where the film was showing in case of rain. Despite my dripping wet clothes and hard wooden chair, I was taken away by Neurotypical within the first five minutes.
Neurotypical is a documentary about autism from the perspective of autistics. The title comes from the term autistics use to describe people without autism. The film centers on three characters in pivotal times of their lives: Three-year old Violet, teenager Nicholas, and recently diagnosed mid-life Paula. Presenting the stories without pity or a Ripley’s oddity curiosity, Neurotypical’s simple presentation is its strongest attribute.
Outside of the three main characters, the film is sprinkled with other side characters. What works so well in these smaller interviews is their wide appeal. All autistic, the stories told in these interviews range from absolutely hysterical to emotionally moving and introspective. In one of the best segments of the film, an autistic F.B.I. employee questions why he would want to be neurotypical.
“I like who I am. I like the way I see the world. I don’t come up to you on the street and ask you to change your life because it isn’t the same as mine. I see nothing wrong with who I am.”
Usually, with first time directors, you see glimpses of greatness surrounded by mediocrity, but newcomer Adam Larsen transcends this pitfall. With well-crafted interviews and an eye for dramatic elements, Larsen has a knack for honest storytelling. The best example of this is present in Paula’s story.
Recently learning of her autism, the middle-aged woman attempts to reconstruct her life around it. Not everybody likes this change. Paula’s husband feels that she uses autism as an excuse for certain “unpleasing” types of behavior. Rather than carefully placed dramatic cuts during the couple’s arguments, Larsen leaves us with the ugly truth of autism as a cultural label.
As I got up from the screening, dried off but sore, I kept questioning if I was autistic or not. Neurotypical shatters any preconceived notions about autism and autistics. While it isn’t a completely perfect film, the lesser moments are easily overshadowed by its emotional power. It’s a documentary that doesn’t overstep its intelligence and makes a statement without a soapbox.
Daniel Engelke is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s Film & Video program. He resides in New York as a freelance writer and videographer. With expertise in French & British New Wave Cinema and Italian Neo-Realism, Daniel also works as a director and intern for Edward Bass Films.
20/07/2011
Cressida Greening
Rooftop Films Blog
A few weeks ago we screened Adam Larsen’s delicately rendered, insightful documentary Neurotypical, a film which offers a different perspective on autism, placing autistics in control of readdressing society’s perception about them. In turn the film throws open the question of what we percieve as ‘normal’. We spoke to Adam about making the documentary and also had the chance to speak to Paula Durbin-Westby, one of the film’s subjects, about neurodiversity and the necessity of accepting a plurality of definitions and expectations of what constitutes ‘normal’.
Rooftop Films: Describe Neurotypical for someone who hasn’t seen it.
Adam Larsen: I’ve been describing Neurotypical as a documentary about autism from the perspective of autistics, but, really, it’s most accurate to describe it as a film about life, and the storytellers just happen to be autistic.
RF: Why did you want to make this documentary? What first drew you to this topic?
AL: My father has worked in the autism field for over 20 years. Growing up, we held social group gatherings once a month for autistic adults at our house. So I got to know autistics on very personal levels rather than viewing them through the lens of their diagnosis. I started to realize that there was a huge disconnect between the people I knew and the media’s generalizing portrayals of autistics. My dad and I wanted to make a film in which the autistics we knew could speak for themselves.
RF: You raise the topic of neurodiversity, which asserts that mental conditions are not actually disabilities but rather part of human development and should be recognized as normal. Do you see this attitude becoming more accepted in society as time goes on?
Paula Durbin-Westby: Developmental, mental, and physical disabilities are a natural part of the human condition. This is the meaning of the term “neurodiversity.” Neurodiversity is a fact of existence, whether we like it or not. The neurodiversity movement does not claim that these conditions are not disabilities. On the contrary, mental, developmental, and other neurobiological conditions typically are disabilities. The concept of neurodiversity encourages the idea of acceptance of people as they are rather than trying to “normalize” them. So, far from suggesting that these disabilities be recognized as “normal,” in the sense of “typical,” neurodiversity proponents urge people to consider that a range of human ability and disability exists, sometimes within the same person. While we should accept each human being as they are, this does not mean that we reject the idea of services and supports. We promote services and supports that will help each individual live life to its fullest, according to the principles of self-determination.
RF: What do you hope the audience gets out of this film?
AL: Well, if you’re certain that you are Neurotypical, be warned, you may walk away from the film feeling less sure about that. I think we all can benefit from thinking a little less typically.
RF: What’s your next project?
AL: I’ve got two documentary projects in the works. Starts With a Bow will follow John, a self-taught fiddler with Asperger’s and Tourette’s, on his quest to build a replica of an obscure 16th century violin. And, I’m also developing a film about Clarence Fountain, one of the founding members of the Blind Boys of Alabama.
10/07/2011
Jason Ross
Drive Mom Crazy
Neurotypical, directed by, Adam Larsen, was being shown in Brooklyn, New York on Friday night where I had the privilege of watching a film, which pieced together the mystery of human life, exploring Neurodiversity. The documentary tells the tales of a broad spectrum of people with different minds and differences exploring the vast details of an ordinary person’s life.
The movie deepens our thoughts about Neurodiversity incorporating our mood to listen and really understand every one. The documentary teaches us to help each other with support to be successful and live their life they way they are. Nothing in the world is more interesting than to see the differences every one has and can give to society. It is a reason why the documentary inspires every one to work together cooperatively.
However, the film stresses it does feel good to receive a diagnosis, but we are all still human needing connection and positive feelings about who we are. The movie teaches people, no one should feel the need for approval of their diagnosis because they have a syndrome. Furthermore teaching us, people with diagnoses always need to seek approval from society, but without a diagnosis, society does not have to approve who we are.
One Autistic man Adam Larsen interviewed said how Autistic people are vulnerable to being abused because they are not normal. However, the film also stresses, every one is vulnerable to fear and fear leads to much violence. It also teaches how every one needs to stay calm respecting any one and not being afraid of other people who are different than they are.
Another Autistic man describes the childhood game ‘Tag’. Tag may seem like a simple game for children to play, but it is also very telling when a child is left out not being tagged as ‘IT’. The director, Mr. Larsen deepens every one’s thoughts on loneliness and how to connect other people to just about any one knowing every one has something to give to someone else. When listening to the Q and A with Mr. Larsen, he told every one he also had a difference while growing up which inspired him to make a film like this.
Mr. Larsen broadened the movie as much as possible to show every one how much different people are, even on the Autism Spectrum, even though it is not just people on the Autism Spectrum you are watching on screen. When you view a person with differences as having a disease, you are narrowing your mind thinking people need to be so-called ‘normal’, but the film examines the reason why normal or Neurotypical is fiction. People need support. It is our human nature to feel supported by each other.
We need to teach each other to move forward. The documentary teaches how every one is given their own civil rights to live their life. Notwithstanding the war on gaining civil rights is not on individual people, but a service to protect every one’s rights to live their life however they choose to live productively. The movie, Neurotypical strengthened how I put it in my tee shirt, ‘we are who we ‘Aut’ to be’!
As one of the people interviewed in the documentary put it lightly ‘Reality is us, all of us’. Another thing, which inspired me while seeing the film, was the obsession to do the best we can and believe we can do it without the illusion that we can’t. The movie added, if a child is not a burden with differences like Autistic, people embrace that more, but this is just an illusion. We were identified with labels channeling through rationalities rather than emotions. Neurotypical intuitively tells us there once was a time we were in the age of defective and the age of genetics has brought us back to thinking about what is defective. Eugenics is not right as the documentary wants to explore opportunities people have to feel inspired to do something and/or support each other. It is an inspiring film and I hope the film branches out for all to watch, learn, and feel inspired to help every one to succeed.
The movie Neurotypical by Adam Larsen hopefully helps society change the conversation to support Neurodiversity. For more information about this film by director Adam Larsen, please visit Neuro-typical.com!!
posting more soon,
OUT, J