A (Principally) Refreshing Autism Rock Documentary — THINKING PERSON’S GUIDE TO AUTISM

For almost all of its 53 minute runtime, ASD Band: The Film affords an easy, fly on the wall account of a band writing and recording songs whereas making ready for the primary stay gig. This would possibly sound like a criticism, or at the least faint reward. If the documentary have been about one other lavatory commonplace rock group who has seen this sort of cinematic therapy numerous instances earlier than, that might most likely be my intention. Contemplating the state of autistic illustration in each music and movie, although, giving this explicit band the basic rock doc therapy is among the most revolutionary decisions that director Mark Bone may have made.

It’s immeasurably refreshing to have the ability to watch gifted autistic artists hone their craft and speak about their life and work with out the omnipresent weight of getting to coach a doubtlessly uninitiated viewers and characterize everything or autism crushing each second of display time. And the members of ASD Band actually shine within the scenes once they don’t must be something however themselves, whether or not it’s drummer Spenser navigating a number of scenes, keyboardist and piano prodigy Ron working in a style that doesn’t all the time demand exact talent, guitarist Jackson integrating his particular curiosity in Fifties rock into his work, or singer Rawan discovering her literal and metaphorical voice via her music. It’s a real pleasure to have the ability to watch them write songs, work on preparations, and juggle the calls for of life versus artwork with comparatively few autism cliches clogging up the viewing expertise. The shortage of patronizing plucky background music dousing any of the moments that may very well be thought-about quirky or unusual to the uninitiated is especially welcome.

Which makes the documentary’s transient forays away from the rock doc method and into extra stereotypical Autism Content material all of the extra irritating. I perceive why these moments exist within the movie, and I don’t essentially fault anybody concerned in it for the alternatives they’ve made by way of what content material they filmed, how they filmed it, what made the ultimate lower, and the way they scored it. Common audiences would possibly love their episodes of The Good Physician and Younger Sheldon, however their understanding of autistic folks stays in its infancy, which forces autistic folks—and the individuals who would possibly need to assist inform our tales—to dedicate at the least some share of their efforts to probably the most primary schooling and apparent particulars. These similar audiences have additionally confirmed themselves incapable of empathizing with autistic folks or characters on display. In these circumstances, anybody who desires to supply sufficient funding to make a characteristic, safe screening and broadcast alternatives, and doubtlessly discover an viewers of any measurement might be going to must spend a while drawing consideration to what makes autistic folks completely different, addressing our struggles, and highlighting (or prioritizing) what the non-autistic closest to us are pondering and feeling. Usually accompanied by a number of notes from a melancholy string part.

[media description: Trailer for the rock documentary ASD Band: The Movie]

None of those parts are significantly obtrusive in of themselves. The digicam’s closeups on the musician’s stimming fingers are respectful and comparatively refined. Everybody’s reflections on their previous and hopes and issues for the longer term are fully legitimate and are handled as such. It doesn’t cease me from eager for a time when these particulars received’t be fairly so obligatory for any piece of media that entails autistic folks, although.

Till that day, the silver lining of those rising pains is that they provide helpful insights into how the trouble to characterize what makes autistic folks completely different can generally overshadow the methods by which we’re actually not that alien. Or how a lot circumstances and bias can change folks’s notion of what counts as signs, wants, and different issues. In ASD Band: The Film’s case, this challenge is mirrored in a number of small scale particulars that most likely received’t be noticeable to anybody who both isn’t autistic or hasn’t spent a variety of time genuinely listening to and interacting with us. Most obviously, there’s a second the place an individual within the movie who, so far as we all know, isn’t autistic begins performing a reasonably basic stim. Whereas the autistic stars’ stims are documented intimately, this motion occurs with none further consideration being drawn to it. I’m unsure anybody on the manufacturing finish even seen that it was taking place or may have acknowledged it as stimming. It’s simply one other motion {that a} human being makes. Perhaps sometime that can be how autistic stimming is handled, too.

I additionally discover the shortage of larger context for ASD Band and the place they match into music—and the way autism basically elements into common music—intriguing. For one factor, there are a variety of overtly autistic musicians at nearly each stage of fame of rock, starting from members of smaller outfits like The Vines and Menswear to Courtney Love and David Byrne. (Cease Making Sense, extensively thought-about one of many best rock docs of all time by music and movie connoisseurs alike, can also be a movie about an autistic musician.) It’s potential that these rock stars may need completely different help wants than a few of the musicians getting the highlight on this documentary, however I believe that’s additionally a matter of perspective.

As somebody who nursed a particular curiosity in music as a teen and spent a big chunk of her maturity working as music journalist, I can guarantee you that there are musicians of each neurology who don’t perform at what society would usually classify as “regular.” Loads of them require vital help from different folks and don’t really stay that independently. We simply don’t contemplate it help when it comes from managers, workers, associates, lovers, groupies, road groups, and all the different advantages which can be supposed to come back together with being a musical genius. Loads of these musicians even have dad and mom who’re frightened about their futures and whether or not they’ll survive on their very own, however we simply settle for that as a standard pitfall of the occupation and don’t assume it belongs in a profile of the artists themselves.

However these issues run a lot deeper than any hour-long documentary and are larger than any movie may repair by itself. For all of its minor faults, ASD Band: The Film takes at the least one step ahead for each well-meaning stumble again and ASD Band do themselves and their fellow autistic proud with the platform they’ve been given. Right here’s hoping they’ll have much more probabilities to precise themselves and be themselves sooner or later.