Knowing Asperger's from "Adam"

There has been quite a bit of talk about Autism in recent years as more and more children are being diagnosed with some form of the disorder. I'm not sure if it should even be called a disorder because in truth, it's just a different way of looking at and thinking about the world. Who is to say what is "normal" these days and what is abnormal? We now understand from years of research that Autism is an umbrella with a whole spectrum of traits that fall under it. One of the diagnoses that falls within that spectrum is something called Asperger's Syndrome, which is a particular form of Autism that usually denotes a higher level of social functioning and intelligence than some of the more severe cases of those who are non-verbal or unable to function in social settings at all.

I have a personal stake in this subject because I have a brother who was diagnosed with Asperger's and has spent his life trying to find his place, struggling with the routine of daily life despite a high degree of intelligence and capability. When I heard an interview with the writer of the film Adam a few months back, I was intrigued. Since the topic of Autism was first broached in the film Rain Man a number of years ago, there seems to be a greater awareness, but it is still accompanied by a limited understanding of the range of effects it has on people's lives. Film has the unique capacity to bring about greater understanding because of its ability to tell a story as well as realistically portray elements of a character in the context of that story.

The story centers around the main character for which the film is named, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome. I say he suffers from it, not in the sense of a disease or illness, but more as an obstacle he must overcome in his interactions with people. Writer and director Max Mayer uses different devices to put the audience in the position of his character and help us to understand what life is like inside his head. The film begins with Adam standing at a gravesite as the casket is being lowered into the ground. He stands by helplessly, though we are not privy to the details of just what his relationship is to the person that has died. As we begin to get a glimpse of Adam's world, from the neatly ordered closet to the freezer filled with a row of a dozen or so identical boxes of macaroni and cheese, we get our first hints of what is going on. Adam stands in somewhat of a daze before the white refrigerator, staring at a dry erase board that lists various household chores. He takes a marker and crosses out the space at the bottom that reads "Dad's chores", and somberly goes about the business of cleaning up. That simple sequence reels us in emotionally as we realize that not only has he lost his father, but how utterly unequipped he is to deal with this reality.

Throughout the film, there are various scenes where the audience is put inside Adam's head with visual and auditory cues. The images and sounds are filtered and distorted in ways that sometimes might be used to suggest a dream sequence or some drug induced state, but we realize that these are part of Adam's normal reaction to situations that might not phase most of us, but for him are traumatic. The plot focuses on his relationship with a woman named Beth and the various ways that he struggles to connect socially with people in his life. These situations are frequently comic, though at times heartbreaking. There is the conversation that he has at a party with a woman who unsuspectingly engages him in a discussion about astronomy only to find herself trapped by Adam's detailed dissertation on different types of telescopes. When he meets Beth's parents at a small off-Broadway theater, he nervously recounts a detailed list of dates and performances in the history of the theater. These scenes are presented in a way that isn't mocking, but rather lets us in on the nature of the disorder with a sense of humor about it. In another scene, Adam is mistaken by police as having some malicious intent as he stands next to the playground at the school where Beth teaches. He becomes agitated as he is forcibly dealt with, unable to explain himself, bailed out of the situation only after Beth comes out to set the police straight.

The film is beautifully shot, with striking camera angles, carefully blocked scenes, characterized by gorgeous lighting that is both dramatic and naturalistic at once. The flow of the narrative is well structured, though at times gets bogged down by unnecessary subplots that distract from the central narrative. While it is for the most part realistic, there are certain cliches and devices that come across as a bit overwrought. By in large, I think it is a genuine portrayal of a character whose plight is more common that we might realize. It's not your average, conventional love story, and I think it would be difficult for anyone to not be moved by Adam's character and what he goes through. These are the sort of films that are challenging to make because they have a message that is central to the story and while it's important to get that message across, you don't want to beat your audience over the head with it. I think the filmmaker manages to walk the balance nicely in a way that both lets us inside this world that may be unfamiliar to us, while telling a simple story that is engaging to any viewer, no matter their point of view.