Today’s Man: Adventures of a Young Man With Asperger Syndrome
Wednesday, June 18 – 7:30pm
at Pacific Cinémathèque 1131 Howe Street, Downtown Vancouver
USA 2006. Director: Lizzie Gottlieb
Filmmaker Lizzie Gottlieb’s brother Nicky was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, when he was 21. Although people with Asperger’s can be highly intelligent, they are unable to pick up on social cues. Subtleties of body language, facial expression, tones, or gestures go unnoticed, and their own behaviour can strike others as bizarre and inappropriate. As a small child, Nicky demonstrated amazing abilities. At age three, during a family trip to Europe, he became fluent in Italian in two weeks. He could figure prime numbers into the thousands. However, as both a child and an adult, Nicky has been plagued by peculiar speech, obsessive interests, and odd interactions. He lacks an understanding of what is socially acceptable,and often behaves wildly inappropriately. In Today’s Man, Gottlieb sets out to try to understand the disorder and its effects on her brother and her family. The big question for all is whether Nicky will be able to live an independent life. With great sensitivity and insight, Gottlieb’s camera follows Nicky for six years as he struggles to leave the safety of his family’s home to go out into a world that he is not fully prepared for and that may not be fully prepared for him. Colour, DigiBeta. 55 mins.
Post-screening discussion with Dr. Vikram Dua.
Dr. Dua is a psychiatrist specializing in children, adolescence, and forensics, and an Associate Clinical Professor at UBC. He is co-director of the BC Autism Assessment Network and the Provincial Autism Resource Centre, and served as the primary researcher and writer for the Ministry of Health policy paper “Standards and Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Assessment of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” His clinical practice specializes in children and youth with developmental disabilities.
Co-sponsored by ACT – Autism Community Training Society.
Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UBC.
Frames of Mind is a monthly film event utilizing film and video to promote professional and community education on issues pertaining to mental health and illness.