Autism in the movies
a list of films that have the subject of autistic spectrum disorder.
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- DirectorNick CastleStarsLucy DeakinsJay UnderwoodBonnie BedeliaAn autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.
- DirectorMarc EvansStarsAlan RickmanSigourney WeaverCarrie-Anne MossA drama focused on the friendship between a high-functioning autistic woman and a man who is traumatized after a fatal car accident.
- DirectorGregg ChampionStarsMary-Louise ParkerAidan QuinnZac EfronA mom is alone with her fraternal twin sons after they're diagnosed with autism. She tries to give them a normal childhood.
- DirectorElissa DownStarsRhys WakefieldLuke FordToni ColletteAll Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity. Will Thomas, with the help of his girlfriend, Jackie, accept his brother?
- DirectorPetter NæssStarsJosh HartnettRadha MitchellGary ColeA love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.
- DirectorMax MayerStarsHugh DancyRose ByrnePeter GallagherAdam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.
- DirectorMichael SwitzerStarsPatty DukeMelissa GilbertBradley PierceMichael, a young autistic boy who has trouble with verbalization but a real talent for technology, uses a computer to plead for help after being molested at his school.
- DirectorKaran JoharStarsShah Rukh KhanKajolSheetal MenonAn Indian Muslim man with Asperger's syndrome takes a challenge to speak to the President of the United States seriously and embarks on a cross-country journey.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsChanning TatumAmanda SeyfriedRichard JenkinsA romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a conservative college student while he's home on leave.
- DirectorJohn DuiganStarsElisabeth ShueAaron EckhartJill HennessyA bachelor becomes the unwilling guardian of his autistic, intellectually disabled sister; then an experimental treatment works a dramatic change in her brain and his attitude.
- DirectorTricia ReganStarsHillary AaronJoe AaronLexi AaronFollows five autistic children as they work together to create and perform a live musical production.
- DirectorBruce BeresfordStarsRichard DreyfussLinda HamiltonJohn LithgowAn autistic boy witnesses his parents' double murder. A controversial therapist seeks to probe the child's mind in order to solve the case.
- DirectorHarold BeckerStarsBruce WillisMiko HughesAlec BaldwinShadowy elements in the NSA target a nine-year old autistic savant for death when he is able to decipher a top secret code.
- DirectorRobert Allan AckermanStarsKirstie AlleySam WaterstonStockard ChanningA woman estranged from her husband and family insists on caring for her autistic son alone.
- DirectorJessie NelsonStarsSean PennMichelle PfeifferDakota FanningAn intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsJuliette LewisDiane KeatonGiovanni RibisiA mentally challenged young woman seeks independence by obtaining her own apartment and attending college while her family plans her sister's wedding.After receiving a well-earned certification from a sheltered boarding school, Carla Tate (Juliette Lewis), an ambitious and mildly mentally challenged young woman, returns home to her over-protective mother Elizabeth (Diane Keaton). Elizabeth seems to act as if she is embarrassed about her daughter's disability. During family discussions, Elizabeth adopts an uneasy attitude. Her wisdom-hard-won father Radley ( Tom Skerritt) is a dentist and (former alcoholic). Carla's ambition is to seek more independence from her family by earning a diploma from a trade school. When Carla meets another mentally challenged student, Daniel McMann (Giovanni Ribisi), they become friends and soon fall in love. Envying Danny's freedom, Carla convinces her parents she is capable of living on her own and moves into her own apartment. After a time, Carla and Danny become sexually active together.
- DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsDustin HoffmanTom CruiseValeria GolinoAfter a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
- DirectorMichael LessacStarsKathleen TurnerTommy Lee JonesAsha MeninaA widow tries to find out why her daughter's strange behavior, a reaction to her father's death, is progressively worsening.
- DirectorKevin ConnorStarsChad LoweKesun LoderMarin HinklePhillip Fielder is a man who is struggling to rise up in his competitive career. Then his sister passes away leaving him custody of her 8 year old autistic son. Soon Fielder learns responsibilities of being a father.
- DirectorSimon ShoreStarsKeeley HawesBen MilesSheila HancockA true story about a couple's struggles to meet the challenges of their son's autism.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsJodie FosterLiam NeesonNatasha RichardsonIn a remote woodland cabin, a small-town doctor discovers Nell - a beautiful young hermit-woman with many secrets.
- DirectorTodd HollandStarsFred SavageLuke EdwardsJenny LewisA boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross-country, with help from a girl they meet, to compete in the ultimate video-game championship.
- DirectorStefan ScainiStarsAmanda PlummerMegan FollowsTeresa StratasAn autistic child growing up in the 1940's and 50's with a mother who is bitter because her fear of success has denied to herself a possible career in opera. This anger translates into an over-protectiveness of her mentally ill daughter, even into the child's adulthood. But a loving sister, herself having an arm that is paralyzed, is a bastion against the limitations imposed by the mother and finally helps her sister to live a more full life.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsClaire DanesJulia OrmondDavid StrathairnA biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.
- DirectorJanet GrilloStarsBeth BroderickAshley RickardsAramazd StepanianThe story of Jeanne and her autistic teenage daughter, Mandy. Jeanne has cared for Mandy since the day she was born, growing closer every day to a child who is charmingly offbeat one moment and nearly impossible to manage the next.
- DirectorFriðrik Þór FriðrikssonStarsMargrét Dagmar EricsdóttirDavid G. AmaralSimon Baron-CohenThe mother of an autistic child is determined not to accept the pessimistic prognosis for her son.
- DirectorAdam ElliotStarsToni CollettePhilip Seymour HoffmanEric BanaIn 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsThomas HornTom HanksSandra BullockA nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
- DirectorWilliam DearStarsLuke SchroderDean CainGeorge CanyonMickey Tussler, an autistic pitcher, joins a minor-league baseball team and has a profound effect on the team and manager Arthur "Murph" Murphy over the course of a season.
- DirectorMichael WorthStarsMargot FarleyMichael WorthJohn SaxonNoah Connelly is a boxer with a tireless opponent: Autism. But when he meets a dancer named Alexia, the two discover together that the toughest fight may be not be of the body, but of the heart.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJude LawRobin WrightVera FarmigaA landscape architect's dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life.
- DirectorMichel Orion ScottStarsRupert IsaacsonKristin NeffRowan IsaacsonA writer documents the journey his family takes to Mongolia to consult with nomadic shamans on the healing of their autistic son.
- DirectorGlenn JordanStarsJames FarentinoKathryn HarroldStephen ElliottA young couple is overjoyed when they find out that, after having had two girls, the wife is pregnant again, and this time it will be a son. However, the boy turns out to autistic. Unhappy with the diagnoses and treatments available, they decide to work out their own therapy program for their son.
- DirectorTodd GraffStarsQueen LatifahDolly PartonKeke PalmerG.G. Sparrow faces off with her choir's newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill, over the group's direction as they head into a national competition.
- DirectorAlonso MayoStarsLou Taylor PucciJayne EastwoodPam HyattSheltered by his grandparents, Luke, a young man with autism, is thrust into a world that doesn't expect anything from him. But Luke is on a quest for a job and true love. And he isn't taking no for an answer.
- CreatorMichael KarnowZak PennStarsDavid StrathairnRyan CartwrightWarren ChristieAlphas is a science fiction drama focusing on a team that investigates people with supernatural abilities.
- CreatorJason KatimsStarsPeter KrauseLauren GrahamDax ShepardThe lives and tragedies of the Braverman family tree.
- CreatorTim KringStarsKiefer SutherlandDavid MazouzGugu Mbatha-RawA widower struggling to raise his emotionally challenged son discovers that he can predict events before they happen.
- DirectorXiaolu XueStarsJet LiZhang WenGwei Lun-MeiExplores the subject of parental love and autism in kids.
- DirectorQuentin LeeStarsBooboo StewartHarry Shum Jr.Joan ChenCelebrate the 10th anniversary of Quentin Lee's gripping mystery of loss and redemption at the intersections of queerness, neurodiversity, and Asian-American identity.
- DirectorNic BalthazarStarsMarijke PinoyGreg TimmermansCesar De SutterAs an alternative to getting bullied at school, an autistic teenager retreats into the world of online role-playing games.
- DirectorSam FleischnerStarsJesus Sanchez-VelezAndrea Suarez PazAzul ZorrillaIn this intense, immersive journey, a young boy finds himself lost in the lively, dangerous world of the New York City subway, while his mother fiercely searches for him above ground in a race against the clock as Hurricane Sandy nears.
- DirectorMorgan MatthewsStarsAsa ButterfieldRafe SpallSally HawkinsA 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.
- DirectorJenni MasonStarsDaniel CameronAlan OrrAngela Moore'I Am Me' tells the story of 24 year old Charlie, a young man with a learning disability and autism. Charlie loves gardening and books but hates shouting and graffiti. The story begins as Charlie is moving into his own flat. With Charlie's mum being ill and struggling with his care, Charlie's older brother Tom is keen that he takes steps towards living a more independent life. Over time though Charlie is targeted by local youths and the abuse starts to escalate. 'I Am Me' is a hard hitting and emotional film that explores many complex issues surrounding the effects of disability hate crime, in a thought provoking yet sensitive way.
- DirectorTim FywellStarsJuliet StevensonJamie MartinStefan MervynThe four-year-old Nicolas Shield leads a brash and peaceful life, until he gets diagnosed with autism.
- DirectorJohn AsherStarsChristopher GorhamJulian FederKaitlin DoubledayAfter his wife dies of cancer, an overworked engineer struggles to care for his son with autism. His son in response to bullying regresses into a fantasy world escape.
- DirectorRoger Ross WilliamsStarsOwen SuskindCornelia SuskindRon SuskindA coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.
- DirectorKaren ArthurStarsCybill ShepherdStephen LangBlake HeronJanice is the subject of the town gossips for four reasons: she wears too much lipstick, her hair is too big, she is a single-mother and her two children are strange. Ray (6) is a hellraiser and Tony (9) is autistic. One day, however, Tony sits down at the piano and plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Janice knows there may be hope for him (and them) yet.
- CreatorPeter BowkerStarsMax VentoLee InglebyChristopher EcclestonThe Hughes family work and love and fight like every other family. Then, their youngest son is diagnosed with autism and they don't feel like every other family anymore.
- DirectorBen LewinStarsDakota FanningAlice EveToni ColletteA 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.
- CreatorRobia RashidStarsJennifer Jason LeighKeir GilchristBrigette Lundy-PaineSam, an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum, decides it's time to find a girlfriend, which sets Sam's mom on her own life-changing path as her son seeks more independence.
- DirectorJerry RothwellStarsDonna BudwayEmma BudwayJeremy DearBased on the book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores the experiences of non-speaking autistic people around the world.
- DirectorSiaStarsKate HudsonLeslie Odom Jr.Maddie ZieglerZu is newly sober when she receives news that she is to become the sole guardian of her half-sister named Music, a young girl on the autism spectrum. The film explores two of Sia's favorite themes: finding your voice and creating family.
- DirectorThiago DadaltStarsRobert SolomonPiercey DaltonJeff MarchellettaWhen a nonverbal autistic teen's family is falling apart, he must find his voice to keep them together.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsBen AffleckAnna KendrickJ.K. SimmonsAs a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.
- DirectorRachel IsraelStarsJessica WalterChristina BrucatoTibor FeldmanA New York City romantic comedy, Keep the Change is the unlikely love story of two people who meet in a support group.
- CreatorJason KatimsStarsRick GlassmanSue Ann PienAlbert RuteckiThree autistic roommates find a way to live together and strive for similar things in life.
- DirectorKim BassStarsMajor DodsonAmy SmartRory CochraneAn unathletic boy with autism strives to become an unlikely marathon champion giving his unfulfilled father purpose and a second chance at putting his family first.
- DirectorEddie SternbergStarsEd SkreinEleanor MatsuuraLeo LongFollows Vince, a desperate former popstar who dreams of making a comeback. An impromptu jam session with autistic young drummer Stevie sparks an unexpected friendship between the two misunderstood musicians.