Jerry Newport
Jerry Newport is an author with Asperger syndrome whose life was the basis for the 2005 feature-length movie Mozart and the Whale. He is known for his frank advice and humour when giving presentations. He is also a savant with the ability to perform extremely difficult and intricate mathematical calculations entirely in his head. He has a B.A. in Mathematics from The University of Michigan where he was also a member of Delta Chi Fraternity. Jerry, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 1995, and his wife, Mary Meinel-Newport are internationally recognized as advocates, authors and savants, having appeared on "Sixty Minutes" twice. They have written books on adult aspects of Asperger's Syndrome and spoken in forty six states and eight nations.
A dramatic-comedy, inspired by the lives of two people with Asperger's Syndrome, 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.
This film has been lauded by many in the autistic community for its realistic portrayal of life on the autistic spectrum. Groovy Druid (2006-04-18). "Mozart and the Whale movie review". Wrongplanet.net. http://www.wrongplanet.net/article326.html. Unlike many fictional books and films on the subject, Mozart and the Whale gives a more accurate rendering of autism as a "spectrum" condition, in which individuals have different levels of functioning, as well as different interests, strengths and weaknesses.
This is different from many other portrayals of autism, such as the movie Rain Man and the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, both of which focus on one character and give the character more autistic traits than are normally seen in one individual. This leads to the notion that autistic conditions are more uniform than they are.
It is also notable that the movie portrays autistics functioning in society. Autistic characters in the movie hold jobs and live on their own. For example, the characters Greg, Donald and Isabelle all live in their own apartments and homes.
Due to its realistic and positive portrayal of Asperger Syndrome and other autism spectrum conditions, this movie has been frequently screened at autistic conferences and support group meetings for those on the spectrum
