Autism Spectrum Adventures
by moonmom-295-621699 | created - 01 Jan 2021 | updated - 1 hour ago | PublicFilms that focus on the actual lives and loves of non-neurotypical people. Most films about ASD people focus on how compromised these individuals are, or how hard it is for family members. However, there is way more to ASD than that limited trope. So, let's see some ASD folks living their offbeat lives, out of sync with mainstream values but making their own way. ASD people have given us massive innovations, incredible art and amazing humor in the process of finding their path. So, let's see some unique tales of trial and error, instead of pity party films that minimize the contributions of ASD people, for the comfort of neurotypical people. If you are neurotypical, enjoy this fresh take. If you know someone with ASD these films will shed some light into the under-represented qualities of this neurological spectrum.
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1. Family (III) (2018)
R | 85 min | Comedy
An emotionally-stunted aunt tries to bond with her 13-year-old niece, who wants nothing more than to run away and become a Juggalo.
Director: Laura Steinel | Stars: Taylor Schilling, Bryn Vale, Brian Tyree Henry, Jessie Ennis
Votes: 3,332 | Gross: $0.12M
2. Straight Up (I) (2019)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
Todd and Rory are intellectual soul mates. He might be gay. She might not care. A romantic-comedy drama with a twist; a love story without the thrill of copulation.
Director: James Sweeney | Stars: James Sweeney, Katie Findlay, Dana Drori, James Scully
Votes: 3,317
3. Mozart and the Whale (2005)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
Director: Petter Næss | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell, Gary Cole, Sheila Kelley
Votes: 9,294 | Gross: $0.04M
4. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)
PG-13 | 111 min | Biography, Drama, History
English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
Director: Will Sharpe | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones
Votes: 20,457
5. Birdy (1984)
R | 120 min | Drama, War
After two friends return home from the Vietnam War one becomes mentally unstable and obsesses with becoming a bird.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Matthew Modine, Nicolas Cage, John Harkins, Sandy Baron
Votes: 24,934 | Gross: $1.46M
6. The Queen's Gambit (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Drama
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Bill Camp, Marcin Dorocinski
Votes: 553,499
7. An Angel at My Table (1990)
R | 158 min | Biography, Drama
Janet Frame was a brilliant child who, as a teen, was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. Explore Janet's discovery of the world and her life in Europe as her books are published to acclaim.
Director: Jane Campion | Stars: Kerry Fox, Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, Iris Churn
Votes: 8,686 | Gross: $1.05M
8. As Good as It Gets (1997)
PG-13 | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.
Director: James L. Brooks | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Votes: 318,463 | Gross: $148.48M
9. The Imitation Game (2014)
PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life.
Director: Morten Tyldum | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech
Votes: 825,182 | Gross: $91.13M
10. Ghost World (2001)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro
Votes: 126,840 | Gross: $6.22M
11. Pump Up the Volume (1990)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Mark runs a pirate radio station and causes an uproar when he speaks his mind and enthralls fellow teens.
Director: Allan Moyle | Stars: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Anthony Luke Lucero, Andy Romano
Votes: 31,167 | Gross: $11.54M
12. Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Family
A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
Stars: Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan
Votes: 142,590
13. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 998,689
14. A Brilliant Young Mind (2014)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Romance
A socially awkward teenage maths prodigy finds new confidence and new friendships when he lands a spot on the British squad at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
Director: Morgan Matthews | Stars: Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan
Votes: 30,319 | Gross: $0.14M
15. My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 47 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Set in the mid-90s at the height of Cool Britannia, a drama based on real diaries takes an honest look at teenage life through the eyes of funny, music-mad Rae
Stars: Ciara Baxendale, Dan Cohen, Jodie Comer, Darren Evans
Votes: 18,886
16. High Fidelity (2000)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black
Votes: 189,796 | Gross: $27.29M
17. Shopgirl (2005)
R | 106 min | Drama, Romance
A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.
Director: Anand Tucker | Stars: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Votes: 24,691 | Gross: $10.28M
18. Please Stand By (2017)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
A young autistic woman runs away from her caregiver in an attempt to submit her 500-page manuscript to a "Star Trek" writing competition at Paramount Pictures.
Director: Ben Lewin | Stars: Dakota Fanning, Alice Eve, Toni Collette, Lexi Aaron
Votes: 15,234 | Gross: $0.01M
19. Harold and Maude (1971)
PG | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack
Votes: 81,855
20. Dinosaur (2024– )
30 min | Comedy
Nina's world is shaken when her sister Evie, also her best friend, hastily decides to get engaged, threatening to upend the dynamics of their close relationship.
Stars: Ashley Storrie, Kat Ronney, Danny Ashok, David Carlyle
Votes: 297
21. Offspring (2010–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Drama
The story of the impossible loves of 30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman and her fabulously messy family.
Stars: Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart, Richard Davies, Linda Cropper
Votes: 5,490
Nina!
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