Autism spectrum disorders: a close-reading of four independent films

Abstract

Both Hollywood and independent productions have been interested in depicting Autism Spectrum Disorders in the last thirty years. Within this period, diagnostic criteria of this developmental disorder have made dramatically progress by involving in different conditions and understandings. In parallel with this progress, it can be assumed that contemporary film and tv productions have offered diverse representations of ASD. Yet, to make such assumption, several progresses in different factors (diagnosis of ASD, representations of ASD, production models of the films) should be investigated. The current thesis aims to examine the tendency of using stereotypical representations of ASD in the contemporary independent productions. In this respect, the examination will be made through the close-readings of the following four films, Temple Grandin (2010), Life, Animated (2016), Snow Cake (2006) and Mozart and the Whale (2005).