Mozart and the Whale

They don't fit in. Except together.

Director: Petter Næss
Writer: Ronald Bass (written by)
Release Date: 2 February 2006 (Thailand)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast:
Josh Hartnett as Donald Morton
Radha Mitchell as Isabelle Sorenson, etc.

Plot:
A dramatic-comedy, inspired by the lives of two people with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, whose emotional dysfunctions threaten to sabotage their budding romance. Donald is a good-natured but hapless taxi driver with a love of birds and a superhuman knack for numbers. Like many people with AS, he likes patterns and routines. But when the beautiful but complicated Isabel joins the autism support group he leads, his life - and his heart - are turned upside down.
Written by Anonymous

Memorable quotes:
Donald Morton: Excuse me. Do you know when the next bus, uh 217, runs?
Man at bus stop: Sorry.
Donald Morton: I'm chasing someone.
Man at bus stop: By bus?
Donald Morton: Well, it's important.
Man at bus stop: Important enough to take the bus?
Donald Morton: Yeah. My girlfriend left me because I wanted to get married and she wanted to stay just friends.
Man at bus stop: Ah. The slower this chase, the better.
Donald Morton: Yeah.

Isabelle Sorenson: All this time, and you didn't call.
Donald Morton: I was gonna call.
Isabelle Sorenson: You were?
Donald Morton: Well just to tell you that I wasn't gonna call so that you wouldn't be aggravated, sitting around waiting and wondering when I was
Isabelle Sorenson: gonna call?
Donald Morton: Yeah. But in the end I figured that forcing myself into your life was probably not right. I would always do that. So the only nice thing I had left to give was just not to call.
Isabelle Sorenson: I hated you for not calling. Because you were always gonna be there, and when you weren't, it was as if you didn't love me anymore.
Donald Morton: So go home, I'll call ya.

Donald Morton: People with Asperger's want contact with other people very much; we're just pathetically clueless at it, that's all.

Isabelle Sorenson: Be my friend Donald, be my best friend, please, because I really need you. I always felt like you wanted us to get married or something.
Donald Morton: I never said that.
Isabelle Sorenson: Not with words. But instead of that, do you want to just be my friend?
Donald Morton: Without the sex?
Isabelle Sorenson: Without the pressure. My friendship is all I have to give. Do you want it?

trivia:
The project was originally planned for Steven Spielberg, but due to his workload it eventually landed in the hands of critically acclaimed Norwegian director Petter Næss. This became his first US production.

The film is based on the story of Jerry and Mary Newport. They were profiled in 1995 in an LA Times article.

Talking about Asperger's Syndrome:
Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction and restricted, stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests.

It is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy.

The exact cause is unknown, although research supports the likelihood of a genetic basis; brain imaging techniques have not identified a clear common pathology.

The lack of demonstrated empathy is possibly the most dysfunctional aspect of Asperger syndrome. Individuals with AS experience difficulties in basic elements of social interaction, which may include a failure to develop friendships or to seek shared enjoyments or achievements with others (for example, showing others objects of interest), a lack of social or emotional reciprocity, and impaired nonverbal behaviors in areas such as eye contact, facial expression, posture, and gesture. Unlike those with autism, people with AS are not usually withdrawn around others; they approach others, even if awkwardly.

People with Asperger syndrome often display behavior, interests, and activities that are restricted and repetitive and are sometimes abnormally intense or focused. They may stick to inflexible routines, move in stereotyped and repetitive ways, or preoccupy themselves with parts of objects.

Personal Rating: 7/10

-courtesy by http://www.imdb.com
-more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome