Autism and the Movies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rain Man

This 1988 film is directed by Barry Levinson and stars Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt and Dustin Hoffman as his brother, Raymond Babbitt. Cruise plays a selfish and egotistical man who learns that he has a brother in an institution who has inherited the vast majority of his late father's money.

He decides to try to get custody of his brother in order to get his hands on the money. His brother is an autistic savant, who has superb abilities in certain areas like memory but cannot function in every day life as he is unaware of social rules and follows a strict daily routine.

The character Raymond Babbitt is based on real life savant Kim Peek. "Rain Man" won the Oscar for Best Picture and Dustin Hoffman won the Oscar for Actor in a Lead Role.

Answer: Sigourney Weaver

"Snow Cake" is a charming Canadian/British movie starring Alan Rickman, Carrie-Ann Moss and Sigourney Weaver. Weaver plays an autistic woman named Linda who meets Rickman's character named Alex after Linda's daughter is killed. Linda has difficulty in social situations and is manic about cleanliness.

She asks Alex to stick around so that he can take garbage out for her on garbage day and while he is there, he develops a relationship with Linda's neighbor, Maggie (played by Carrie-Ann Moss). Linda does not like Maggie at all but by the end of the movie, has asked Maggie to help take her garbage out, a sign that she has accepted her. Both Weaver and Rickman were nominated for their acting at the Seattle International Film Festival and the film was nominated for several Genie Awards.

Answer: Temple Grandin

"Temple Grandin" is a 2010 film that premiered on HBO and is based on Grandin's own memoirs. The film portrays the difficulties that Grandin had as a child who had many sensory challenges and how she developed and adapted to the world around her. As a teen she was encouraged to work on her aunt and uncle's ranch which eventually led to a career in the livestock industry where she developed a humane way to deal with livestock. Claire Danes plays Grandin brilliantly and won an Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and a Satellite Award.

We hosted an autism conference in our city and were lucky enough to have Temple Grandin as our keynote speaker. She had many stories to tell about how important it is to challenge autistic children to take on hobbies that are outside of their comfort zone because they can have a tendency to get stuck in very narrow areas of interest. Her story is an example of where this enabled her to have a very successful career in an area she might not have explored.

Answer: 9/11 terrorist attacks

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is a 2011 movie starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and based on a book of the same name. In the movie, nine year old Oskar Schell is portrayed as autistic. He searches through New York City for a lock to match a mysterious key left behind by his dad, who died in the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Oskar has difficulty communicating with people and is uncomfortable in social situations and his journey forces him to deal with these things.

In the movie, Oskar is tested for autism but the results are inconclusive.

However, in the book it is not explicitly stated that he might be on the spectrum, but left up to the reader to decide.

Answer: What's Eating Gilbert Grape

This movie stars Johnny Depp as Gilbert and Leonardo DiCaprio as his developmentally disabled younger brother, Arnie. Although it isn't explicitly mentioned that Arnie is autistic, his behaviors and mannerisms point to it. He needs routine, has repetitive movements and meltdowns, and is completely unaware of danger. One of his preferred activities is climbing the town water tower, which is incredibly dangerous. DiCaprio spent time in homes for disabled teens to prepare for the role and became the seventh youngest person to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Answer: Shah Rukh Khan

In this 2010 film, Shah Rukh Khan portrays a man on the autism spectrum who is detained at an airport post-9/11 for suspicious behavior. Authorities at the airport confuse his autistic mannerisms for suspicious behavior and he is arrested. After his arrest, he decides to go on a journey to meet President Bush to clear his name. Khan's character demonstrates some of the social challenges individuals with autism have, including maintaining eye contact, having challenges with physical closeness and taking things too literally.

Answer: Autism: The Musical

"Autism: The Musical" is a 2007 independent documentary that follows five children during a six-month period in Los Angeles, California. During that six-month period the children write and rehearse a play. The film shows the capabilities of the children as well as the challenges the parents have as they raise children on the spectrum.

The documentary shares some facts about autism and the plethora of challenges individuals with autism have including sensory issues and social difficulties. It also serves to smash some of the myths associated with autism such as a lack of imagination or creativity.

The film was shortlisted for an Oscar and won two Emmys. A sequel (called "Autism: The Sequel") was made in 2020 taking a "where are they now?" approach.

Answer: The Accountant

In this film, Affleck plays an autistic man named Christian Wolff who is a brilliant accountant and a deadly assassin. The film gets mixed reviews from the autism community. On the one hand, it portrays some of the challenges associated with some autistic individuals well. Social situations can be difficult for Wolff and if he starts something he absolutely has to finish it. On the other hand, he is yet another savant, a man with unbelievable skills. This type of portrayal makes for a good movie but autistic savants account for such a small percentage of the population of individuals who are autistic.

The film was nominated for a couple of awards. The German based Jupiter Awards nominated it for best film, as did the Saturn Awards.

Answer: Mozart and the Whale

Billed as a "love story between two savants", this film was not widely critically acclaimed or very well received. The film stars Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell who play two autistic adults who meet at a self-help group for adults on the spectrum. The main character has savant capabilities with numbers but needs to stick to a strict routine.

He also has difficulties with social situations. Sounds a bit reminiscent of another film about an autistic savant? That's because it was written by the same man who wrote the screenplay for "Rain Man", Ron Bass.

Answer: Refrigerator Mothers

The term 'refrigerator mother' was coined around the early 1950s after psychiatrist Leo Kanner noted a supposed lack of warmth amongst parents of individuals with autism. He wrote that he saw a lack of maternal warmth in particular and that fathers did not get down and play with children. These behaviors in parents contributed to the behaviors seen in autistic children. This theory has since been completely discredited and there is still no known cause for autism.

The film "Refrigerator Mothers" is a 2003 documentary that gives a voice to mothers from the 1950s and 1960s who had autistic children. Imagine having a child with a developmental disability, trying to learn what you can about the condition so that you can help your child as much as possible, and then being blamed for that condition because of your apparent lack of love shown toward your child. The documentary explores how this rejected theory impacted these mothers. It was awarded First Prize at the 2002 National Council of Family Relations Media Awards and shown at a number of international film festivals.