Rainman: A Re-Evaluation
Before I started research into Autistic Savants, I referenced the film Rainman as one of my immediate examples of an Autistic Savant presented within mainstream culture. I have since watched the film again, and with my understanding of the subject have noticed many things which I did not before.
The story is told from the POV businessman Charlie Babbit played by Tom Cruise, who discovers he has a brother he never knew about. Charlies brother Raymond is an autistic savant: as the real-life complications of Raymonds condition are presented to his brother, the audience learns of savants at the same pace of the central character.
One of the film's central characters, Raymond is an Autistic Savant. This has been illustrated in the film at times, by using a collection of historical occurances among real savants. The same can be said for the characters skills, which range from exceptional memory, calendar calculating, drawing, and lightning calculating.
One notable example of a real life occurance, which has been used to illustrate raymonds character is that of an occurance among twins George and Charles: many research was conducted on these individuals in the 60's. Oliver Sacks wrote about the twins, and recalled a time when a box of matches fell on the floor. Both twins cried "111" simultanously. When sacks counted the matches, he found there to be exactly 111.
The twins were also reported to have the ability recall details relatating to any date they were given, such as which nurse they were seen by, or the weather on that particular day. Raymond is able to perform this particular feat in the film.
A similar occurance happens in the film with Raymond when a box of toothpicks lands on the floor and he calls the number "246". It is discovered that he was correct.
Other areas the film covers are savant traits such as echolalia, and self-harm as well as the repetition of memorised conversations or television programmes.
The story is told from the POV businessman Charlie Babbit played by Tom Cruise, who discovers he has a brother he never knew about. Charlies brother Raymond is an autistic savant: as the real-life complications of Raymonds condition are presented to his brother, the audience learns of savants at the same pace of the central character.
One of the film's central characters, Raymond is an Autistic Savant. This has been illustrated in the film at times, by using a collection of historical occurances among real savants. The same can be said for the characters skills, which range from exceptional memory, calendar calculating, drawing, and lightning calculating.
One notable example of a real life occurance, which has been used to illustrate raymonds character is that of an occurance among twins George and Charles: many research was conducted on these individuals in the 60's. Oliver Sacks wrote about the twins, and recalled a time when a box of matches fell on the floor. Both twins cried "111" simultanously. When sacks counted the matches, he found there to be exactly 111.
The twins were also reported to have the ability recall details relatating to any date they were given, such as which nurse they were seen by, or the weather on that particular day. Raymond is able to perform this particular feat in the film.
A similar occurance happens in the film with Raymond when a box of toothpicks lands on the floor and he calls the number "246". It is discovered that he was correct.
Other areas the film covers are savant traits such as echolalia, and self-harm as well as the repetition of memorised conversations or television programmes.
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