Autistic Person Reviews Rain Man - World Autism Awareness Week

World Autism Awareness Week 2018 Playlist: goo.gl/3ay5L2
Well hello indie people and in this video I review a well known film called Rain Man which is very heavily associated with the autism community. I discuss what I liked/disliked about the film. I talk about autism awareness and the portrayal of autism and also talk about the social relevance this film has in the community.
If you do have any questions about this video or any of the other videos I've made for World Autism Awareness Week, comment them below or message me on my social media, also linked below.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on autism, this video is purely based on my own experiences and what others have stated during my research.
ABOUT ME
Hello indie people, I'm Andy and I have autism spectrum disorder This channel is focused on raising autism awareness & acceptance of autism. To try and change attitudes towards autism, to educate people about autism for those who are new to the autism world.
I make video on autism from my perspective as an autistic adult. Sharing my autism experiences to help other autistic people and autism families to improve understanding of autism.
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So if you are on the spectrum, know someone with autism or are working professionally in the autism field and want to learn more about autistic people then consider subscribing and turning on the notification bell to see all future videos.
Have a great day!
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Music used:
Music used in the end of the video: Lush by Dyalla
(I got this as a free download through SoundCloud. Any issues please refer to my e-mail address below)
Other music: A Quiet Thought, Serenity and Secret Conversations - all can be found in the KZbin Music Library :)
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[@fatheringautism]

Funny, the only thing my wife and I knew about autism was Rainman when our daughter was diagnosed. Great review!

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I've been hearing the same thing from alot of people. So I thought I'd watch and see if it was any good. Thanks man really appreciate your time :)

[@dak45gal]

I watched the movie in the 80's when it came out. I had never heard of Autism and the movie wasn't showing any autism awareness. There was no Autism Awareness back then that I knew of. I am now very much aware since my 6 year old grandson was diagnosed when he was 2 years old. What a joy he is. But back to the movie. It was a good movie for the most part. I love your videos and they are so helpful.

[@gamehero6816]

"In my eyes, there is no normal." Me too.

[@christinebett4677]

It was a great movie for the time and I have to say that when we got told that our son had autism the first things people said was oh like rain man and that was about 3-4 yrs ago now and even I was like no I don't think so. It has been so nice to find your channel and Dan and Connor's channel so that we can see that it is possible for our son to have a better life than we first thought so thank you to all of you that make these youtube videos

[@IndieAndy]

Hi Christine! Apologies for replying this late :( Yeah that's the feeling I've been getting as well that people recognise autism with this film so I thought it would be good to discuss this. Obviously you know your son and there maybe be similarlities but it's important to say that there are massive differences since autism is a massive spectrum as we know :) Aww you watch Dan & Connor as well? Yeah they are great aren't they? Aww that means alot thank you so much. I think that people on the spectrum can be fulfilling lives with the right support. Just keep going and I'm sure your son will be ok :)

[@rev.jesseabelchristianlife6693]

When I was a child in the early 1980s, I was threatened to be "sent away" and you know what that means. When I was a child Autism was greatly misunderstood. Films like rainman and forrest gump to me make me sad.

[@aceman0000099]

It's films like those that did the most for autism awareness in the 20th century

[@SezFrancis1]

A great review, Andy. I have never seen the Rain Man but I can see where you are coming from. Autism was misunderstood at that time compared to today and honestly, entertainment covers over the awareness because I don't understand why. I idk how to describe it tbh. Amazing job as always. =)

[@IndieAndy]

Aww thanks Sez! Yeah it was very lacking I think and I feel the awareness gets missed in the entertainment industry because its not "entertaining" you know.

[@adamlossen1862]

Personally for someone on the spectrum, I wasn't offended by his movie at all. To me when people say they don't like a movie because it was made in a different time to me that like saying we shouldn't watch older movies. I don't like the word retard or calling autism a disease, but that is for ignorant and jerks. People still use those words nowadays. I'm not saying it's right. Charlie is a ignorant jerk but his character learns throughout the movie to be better person. You can see Raymond as a romanticize depiction of someone with autism, quite frankly this is alot better than "Music" now in 2021. I don't think they make enough movies about autism. This isn't a movie really with the happiest of endings but the don't pull a happily ever after on it. I respect your opinion but I also respectfully disagree. I just wanted to give my 2 cents. I'm not offended by this movie and I have aspergers.

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

As someone who is a fellow autistic, "aspergers" is actually a outdated term to use. Many prefer just "autistic" because "asbergers" has connections to functioning labels, which actually aren't very helpful

[@adamlossen1862]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 I'm alright with either or. Opinions vary. I've never looked too deeply with the whole labeling thing. I'm somebody who adapted with my surroundings throughout the years and evolved. With that being said for your statement, if that's the case, that doesn't mean it's offensive. I've talked with many people with autistic children and those who work with them. Not one was mad with that term.

[@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621]

@@adamlossen1862 that would be because they have been learning about disability from abled people instead of disabled peoplethemselves, so they have internalized it

[@adamlossen1862]

@@aussiefurbymogwaifan6621 that's not the case brother. I just told them my experience. How I adjusted to society and who was there to help. The one who brought autism to my mother's attention is the mother of one of my best friends for 20 years. Who doesn't have any learning disabilities but knows what she is talking about. I've talked with many who have studied in learning disabilities, worked with them, and those who are. I mean saying "abled people" and "disabled people" is labeling. That's providing evidence to the contrary. Saying something like "retard", "not normal" or heck even "a disease" is no good. It's just a tough subject to discuss. So rather people use "autism" ,"ASD" , and "Asperger's syndrome" or which ever is just someones preference. Neither is offensive.

[@megspitzer9406]

When my mom enjoyed watching Rain Man years ago, she had no idea that she'd have a child with autism until now; one who's very intelligent, creative, and remembers everything (e.g. the time that I drank blue soda from a sippy cup back in 1995 or 1994).

[@IndieAndy]

It was a different time to be fair. We definitely know a lot more about it now from others talking about their experiences!

[@megspitzer9406]

@@IndieAndy You really think so?

[@zk1801]

Its a good film. I agree that Charlie was very badly behaved towards Raymond. He was probably going through a lot of trauma as well as his father had died and he found out that he had a brother who no one ever told him about. He didnt process any of that well and I think that was on his mind a little bit when he was with Raymond. The turning point was when he realized that Raymond was Rainman and Charlie understood then why Raymond had been kept away from him his whole life as his Dad was worried he would hurt Charlie. Charlie starts to get slowly better after this and more accepting of Raymond. Charlie then changes completely by the end and he rediscovers his humanity. Raymond helps him to become a better person. Interestingly I noticed recently that Rainman came out before DSM 4 came out in 1994. DSM 4 had a broader definition and diagnosis of what Autism was which the makers of the Rainman film wouldnt have been aware of as the diagnosis in DSM 4 came out a few years after Rainman was released, so that can explain a bit about why Rainman might not be very up to date with the information it gives about autism. It's a shame that there werent more popular films or tv shows made about autism after this as it could have helped grow awareness about autism and helped people understand more.

[@tankiedoodle3842]

I'd also like to say that it's not only not okay to call autistics "retard", it's also not acceptable to call anyone that, even people with intellectual disabilities. Slurs must always be fought against. But yeah, Rain Man was when 'autism' became a household word. Almost nobody knew that it even existed back then. I'm sure this hasn't aged well... I'm certainly not going to watch it... but it was a *step* in the right direction *back then*. It's just that we've moved so far forward today.

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I dislike it also! I agree with what you said here!

[@kaishawna3753]

IndieAndy The r word “re***ded” is used in my household lots of times and I cannot escape it. Want it to be eradicated from this Earth. 😤

[@wdbisl]

People still wouldn't have labeled it autism back then only in hindsight has it been labeled that. You probably were more likely to hear rain man syndrome because of this movie or the word retarded. Back then I doubt people could tell the difference between autism and say down syndrome. Just want to point out back then the politically correct term people used was mental retardation which got shorted to the form of retarded. Still wasn't always used nicely, but it wasn't considered the slur it is today back then. You can find images from the 70's of a postage stamp that says please help the retarded children. Society has come a long way and I hope it continues to evolve for the better. I feel like society as a whole understands so much more now.

[@ArGyProductions]

Watched this for the first time.... it explains so much of today's society. Contemplating changing my name

[@mightyquin6831]

my sister has been autistic all her and my life. I had the chance to live like this and know someone with these roadblocks in life. I relate to Tom Cruises character during the end of the film where I understand this person is connected to me through thick and thin, as well as knowing we are both human instead of me thinking otherwise and needing to learn that she is just as human as I. I watched the film with my mother and she had not seen it sense before she had my sister. it allowed to open up about my sister coming to terms to the future. just to clarify, my sister cannot speak or convey emotion in any other way except by just her face conveying them. the film may be a by the numbers flick in terms of plot, but the characters are the most relative I've ever seen in film. this review really makes me think about the little things being done in it. I don't know why I decided to open up on this video. my sister more specifically has Angelman syndrome. keep up your videos and your pursuits in life whatever they may be

[@IndieAndy]

Aww well it's great to hear your thoughts on the film all the same. Also thank you for the encouragement. I do make videos about being autistic weekly. So here's a link to my newest videos if you fancy watching similar things: kzbin.info/aero/PLU7asIuC9SU_g2F-H7ZHf23foe_9JRWua

[@iseeyou3352]

He just seems so nice

[@3rz-rhymesreasonsandwritte437]

Thanks for this review Andy. I've never watched Rainman but from what you say it sounds a lot like Tom Cruise character, Charlie (?) had a touch of it himself by way of his emotional detachment to Dustin Hoffman's character, Raymond. Although maybe Charlie was just narcissistic, a bit like my opinion of Tom Cruise himself. You did a great review. Yes, it's clear that you excel in attention to detail. Are you still making YT videos or are these just older videos and you have moved on? I think it's so important to keep educating the viewers due to much misconception and misunderstanding of autism itself. Love to you 😄🙋

[@IndieAndy]

Hi there! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's really nice to hear that you've noticed the attention to detail... It's really my thing 😂👍 I'm still uploading videos every single week on Tuesdays at 16:30pm UK time on autism related topics. If you want to stay up to date, make sure you are subscribed to the channel and click the bell so the middle is filled in grey. That let's you know when I upload a video or post on the community tab. But yes I agree that just sharing my experiences is important and it is great to see that some how people enjoy my rambles.

[@johnirby8847]

I would say Charlie is a narcissist. He is good looking. He knows he's good looking and uses that as an advantage. He uses his brother. He makes impulsive and self destructive decisions but all narcissistic people do. I think the fact that he is aware that he is deliberately doing all of these things would make it a hard sell on autism but a pretty good fit with narcissism. It is possible to be both autistic and have a narcissistic personality but I think it would be more situational with autism. Charlie plans his use of people and things...sometimes for years with his parents....that is someone that knows exactly what they are doing and exactly how to do it. It's so specifically done for each person Charlie interacts with. I think it's a movie about narcissism and autism. Charlie accepts his brother and loves him despite of being a narcissist and his brother comes to love him despite being autistic. That's why the ending is so good. Is it realistic..I don't know. Can an autistic person tell a narcissist...definitely....those are the people that act really nice in front of others and then steal or hurt them when no one is watching.

[@DrumL3000]

I personally love the movie. My favourite scenes are the Motel Scene. I dont agree with people saying it portrayed autism in this movie badly. Obviously there is different kind of autism. Dustins portrayal was based on a guy who was kinda like that in reality. If you would just put someone with "mild" autism in the movie it wouldnt be that interesting to people. I think both main actors played their roles really good. Also the fact that Raymond did not really change but Charlie did through out the movie. Had to laugh a couple of times at Charlie. Tom ranting always gets me.

[@Logan_Zimmerman]

To be fair, this movie was one of the first movies to depict autism in a time where it was widely misunderstood.

[@alanrice7410]

I notice that some people have said the Raymond’s father sent him to Walbrook institution because he though that Raymond tried to hurt Charlie. I think that people are putting words in the writer’s mouth. It was said that Sanford locked up Raymond in an institution because he though he would hurt his brother. This does not mean that he thought Raymond intentionally burned his brother with bath water. I believe that Raymond’s dad thought it was an accident but decided to put Raymond away because he could not risk Raymond accidentally hurting Charlie again. The speaker of this video incorrectly states that Rainman has never been outside of Walbrook. Raymond lived with his father until he accidentally burned Charlie. The correct statement would be that Raymond has not been outside of Walbrook for more than 20 years.

[@teaartist6455]

Savant skills are actually similar to splinter skills. It's one area that an otherwise mentally disabled person shows a far greater ability in than would be expected and it doesn't have much to do with autism aside from often being thrown together by writers. What savant skills AREN'T: -Learned skills that were acquired through hard work (Yes, I can draw very well, but I had to learn it over years like anyone else and let me tell you, I sucked at it in the beginning) -Skills that aren't above what would generally be expected from someone based on their general intellect (So being good at maths or English wouldn't be considered a savant skill if it's in line with your general intellectual abilities) -Limited to maths -Limited to autistic people -It's not necessarily directly related to interests, that would be a case of hard work leading to skills considered unusual/rare Part of the reason this is definitely a bit of an annoying, I guess simplification or mistake, to me is because artist already get the "Oh, you're so talented, I could never do this!" comment often enough when in reality most of us have spent years working their ass off and were often pretty terrible int he beginning and one of the things I absolutely would fear and hate to happen is people starting to put it down to a "savant skill" . Sorry, no, if it WAS a savant skill I wouldn't have had to work my ass off for 8 years for a certainly still quite flawed ability and I'd say that it's somewhat understandable that I don't want that to be discredited because "Oh, she's autistic, it's natural".

[@AnnabelleTheRose]

Great video, thank you.

[@IndieAndy]

Aww thank you so much Andrew :D

[@jimothy8720]

I think that this movie is really good, this movie really shows how people really didn't understand autistic people in the 80s.

[@alanrice7410]

I notice that Charlie flip flops on his view of whether autism can be improved. There is one part of the movie where Charlie justifies trying to gain access to 1.5 million dollars of his brothers money by saying that Raymond will always be the way he is. In another part of the movie, Charlie implies that Raymond could improve his condition if he just tried harder. Either Charlie has a propensity to change his mind or he was lying to his girlfriend to justify his attempt to gain access to his brother’s money.

[@alanrice7410]

I think the psychologist that had the meeting with Charlie, Dr Bruner, and Raymond was biased against Charlie and Charlie could sense this. I believe that the psychologist already made up his mind to side with Dr Bruner and the interview with Charlie and Raymond was just a formality rather than a genuine interest to hear Charlie’s point of view. Raymond hesitated a long time to answer yes when asked if he wanted to live with his brother but answered yes instantly when asked if he wanted to go back to Walbrook implying that Raymond preferred Walbrook. I think Charlie preferred Walbrook because it was familiar to him, but liked the freedom he experienced in the outside world in spite of being outside his comfort zone. I think if Raymond were to live in the real world for a length of time, his discomfort would subside and he would like not being so confined.

[@CrazyT502]

You skipped right passed the whole hot water tub scene! 🤬

[@MrCph2200]

I just watched the movie. And I agree with everything you said. You got a little into it, but I don’t think I would go too far by saying a little more about my perception of Cruises character: I think there was W A Y too little a change of his perception of Raymond. After Cruises character spend 95 % of the movie shaming, ridiculing and exploiting Raymond there was not so much more that just some acceptance of Raymond from Cruises side in the end. And it to me a little too much like “ just get him back to the institution” in the end

[@LolLol-ku3tc]

Some of the scenes hurt me because of the scared with raymond

[@johncarloapatan1320]

Mental / Psychosocial assessment in terms of : Affect Behavior Communication

[@RyanGosling6]

Honestly I think it’s just good it’s not a great movie but it’s good. There’s things that I like the performance were good. The actor who was playing Ray he did incredible job on this movie. Hmmm honestly I don’t hate the movie to be honest there’s not a lot of things for me to like. I just see Charlie having a difficult time with Ray until the end he’s starting to get use to it and like Ray more. So idk what to think I’ll rate it 7.0 / 10 for me

[@IndieAndy]

Ooh that's fair enough.

[@RyanGosling6]

IndieAndy yeah lol

[@amyclarke41]

yes

[@DrivingMeCrazy]

I look at most films from the 80's as attempts at sensationalism. Thankfully, society has for the most part evolved past the point where behavior like that of Tom Cruise's character would be acceptable. So for me, movies like this serve as more of like, a historical lesson for future generations to be reminded of how backwards some parts of society once were. Great review!

[@Hi-vf9wx]

Hans Zimmer, of course, this is why I adore the soundtrack.

[@megspitzer9406]

That was 6, 10, and 12 years before Zimmer composed the music for The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, and The Road to El Dorado

[@selinapoochie]

For me this film was superb. Yes Charlie was absolutely horrible but that was entirely the point as that was how society viewed some individuals at the time. Also what people understand about autism has nothing to do with the movie's fault at all.

[@IndieAndy]

Hmm that's fair enough and I don't think it's the film's fault per say but I do think the file had a massive impact on how others perceive autism for ages.

[@Nekotaku_TV]

A mistake? Even if you didn't like it it shouldn't have been a mistake... But the movie is really good.

[@Evan_Makeba]

Just a quick comment after seeing your thumbnail. Watching was an mistake. Definitely definitely an mistake.

[@IndieAndy]

Hmm I'm guessing you've seen the film?

[@jannstoetz6848]

I especially hated when he grabbed him and squeezed his neck and then made fun of his book when he records the injury. Raymond is the only character ironically who makes Charlie seem even a little human tbh. I hate the r word tho as someone on the spectrum who has been called that repeatedly.

[@aceman0000099]

Yep, but that's what adds to the film, Charlie is supposed to represent the typical man in the 1980s audience, this is exactly what they would do if they had no idea what autism was. They would for sure use the r word without a second thought. So now the film is like a historical depiction of autism and people's attitudes towards it at the time. Charlie's character growing to love and understand his brother was supposed to make the audience do the same.

[@jannstoetz6848]

I hated Charlie tbh. But Raymond on the other hand. Just shows how superb Dustin is. Tho he was open to studying autism and savants for a year before he took the role. Tom Cruise meanwhile I feel is playing himself tbh lol

[@maraberrycloth9380]

People try to compare me to the guy in the film but I'm nothing like the guy in the film stop trying to compare me to fictional character

[@Daud-ix4tm]

It's based off a real man you know that right?

[@chozzzen1]

Its just a movie bro relax

[@IndieAndy]

Yeah I know it's a film but obviously alot of early points of view were based on this. Of course things have changed which is great to see 👍

[@johnpaulmarkes]

it's just a movie review bro relax