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wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee here we goes again, mah precious!!







Mozart & the Whale: preemptive observations


You may have heard of this movie, Mozart & the Whale, which is an Aspie love story. Then again, maybe you have not. I don't know whether to call it "indie" or "art-house" since the box office potential seems so much greater, but anyhow... the proverbial word from the horse's mouth is on the official site ( http://www.mozartandthewhale.com/ ) and they've said it well enough (after all, they are the people responsible for this piece of what will hopefully be quality entertainment), so I'm just going to jump right in with my thoughts + feelings on the matter.

First off, I find it odd the title of the flick is listed sometimes as "Mozart & the Whale". Why not universally call it "Mozart and the Whale"? Maybe it's a subtle clue, an Aspie thing? Oddly enough, Google makes a distinction between the ampersand and the and. Frankly, I don't know, because it seems uncommon. I had a gander at the trailer the other day -- actually, I watched it attentively through several times, and although I have complaints about the quality of the video and audio which was lacking compared to the standard of Apple Trailers, it got the message through. It looks sweet.

I could relate to the clips as they quickly flashed by. I won't spoil it for you, so check it out for yourself, but needless to say, they give the title of the movie away in the trailer somewhat. Part of a larger context, so I am definitely curious to see how the various scenarios as shown in the trailer will roll out on-screen. It is my impression that what is shown would fall under "romantic comedy", but of course, dealing with some weightier issues than that, it might as well include a healthy heaping of drama and be called a "romantic dramedy" (shades of the neurotic Ally McBeal, which/who I was previously obsessed with in '97). In light of that, it looks even sweeter to me now.

As the movie is currently in post-production, finishing touches on the cake are being made. I'm a positive person so I'm not going to flail my arms and panic like the aliens are attacking (in any case, WE would be the aliens, so civil war at the least ), especially since I have not seen M&tW (nice acronym, huh?) yet. But I hope this movie is the bedrock upon which more entertaining yet not downright offensive movies and other media dealing with Asperger's Syndrome and related issues are built. Many years before this movie was an acclaimed motion picture by the name of Rainman, which goes without saying. I saw it, twice, a long time ago. Ron Bass, who is screenwriting for M&tW, also worked on Rainman. So there's a connection, and it would not seem to be a tenuous one. I hope that magic carries over, because I liked Rainman. Especially the casino scene.

I cannot say I have watched many Josh Hartnett movies, but the fact he takes on a role like this, and from news I have garnered, indicates that he has done his fair share of extensive research beforehand -- and this means something to the autistic community at large. In other words, he will be portraying his character in a manner hopefully as far away from the stereotyped, caricartoonbuffoonish depictions of autistics in Hollywood's past (and sadly, still present)... maybe even as far away as the Pegasus galaxy is from the Milky Way. Likewise, I am not familiar with Radha Mitchell, but she looks cute (nice, sassy-punky hair!) and astute for the role and I will be approaching this movie with all senses wide open when the time comes from a fresh perspective. (Note that some press junkets still incorrectly have Rachel Weisz attached to the movie as Josh's character's love interest.)

One major thing I am happy about is that this movie is about love. It's not about hatred and killing and a whole bag of other negative things. Now, there is obviously a place for all of that in art as well as in life -- I am a horror movie fan who is looking forward to SAW -- and I feel that there is enough pain and suffering in the world as it stands. I believe this movie about love will increase the public profile of *Asperger's*. The very word is used in the marketing, as well as mentioned a couple of times in the trailer. Likewise, I believe public perception will react accordingly to how AS is shown on the silver screen. There are enough blanket cases of autistics and schizophrenics and soforth being shown as homicidal maniacs on legal thrillers, and it is important to recognize that when it all comes down the ground, that is fantasy and the reticient but nice AS chap in your life already has a hard enough time dealing with his personal problems without even more being added to the pile. Same goes for the Aspie girl obsessed with cosmetics and fashion who wants to be a cheerleader but doesn't understand social pecking order. It's important to recognize each person as a unique individual. That being said, there will certainly be conflict on-screen between the unique individuals of M&tW, but hopefully no Aspie-style domestic abuse (leave that topic for another day). I'm really looking forward to the sex scenes though, because although we may not be the most empathic, emotional folks at times, it doesn't mean we are androgynous and lacking in the Human Desire Dept. Say it with me now, in a high-pitched anime schoolgirl voice... "ASPIES MAKIN' WUV??? AWWW AIN'T THAT CUTE? HEEHEEHEE..."

Seriously though, there will be a sufficient number of eyes and ears and other assorted body parts on this movie when it hits, and its critical AND commercial success will no doubt influence the conception and direction of future related projects. A little rewind background to M&tW: if you are curious whether this movie is based on a true story, as is so often said, apparently it is. The LA Times article with the background that inspired the film is kindly put online here:

http://www.aspires-relationships.com/je ... ewport.htm

Yes, that's really sweet. <3 But of course, I cautiously warn my fellow Aspies not to expect a literal translation from page to screen. It is curious not even the official site seems to list this as the background source, and I had to do a little digging for it. Also, I have a little nitpick with the "About the Movie" as it is currently published, as it refers to Aspies as "AS sufferers". Yes, we suffer. However, I'm not entirely comfortable with that term, as it comes off to me as being too bleak and only shows one side of the diverse Magic 8-Ball. Why not just say "Aspie", which is a commonly accepted colloquialism? I do not know.

Wrapping up, it looks like the official site is still in the works, as they are adding more info and links and such. I hope for a cleaner trailer, albeit one that doesn't give away the whole meat of this meal like so many trailers (*cough* I, Robot *cough*) unfortunately do. When I experience this movie for myself, I want to be pleasantly surprised, uncomfortably startled in places, but come out of the theatre with a big smile on my face. Mozart & the Whale comes out on December 12, 2004, at least in the US.

This date is tentative as far as I know, but like real life -- even the lives of Aspies despite our preoccupation with routine -- is subject to change.

Great! I've made some minor editorial changes, and it's now posted on the Articles section. Thanks a lot!

BTW, is there another author name not "Torely_Wong" that we can put there? Is that your actual name, Torely Wong? If you'd like to keep what's there, no problem.

Not a problem -- thanks for the edits.

My real name is Torley Wong , yes! (l before e)

Feel free to use it Dan, and you are most welcome *big happy smile*

Great, I've corrected that.

Also, in addition to the editorial changes on your M&tW article, I added a picture and the obligatory pull-quote.

Cool!