Rain+Man+kailakim

Rain Man (1988)



Provide a link to a clip or trailer from the film you have selected.

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Explain what the psychological disorder that the film is dealing with is, what is its cause, and what are its symptoms.

The film is dealing with a psychological disorder called autism. The disorder deals with poor development in social relationships, great difficulty in communicating, very few activities, and repeat of the same behavior. Therefore in the film Raymond avoids making eye contact with people and socializing with them. He can’t pay attention to someone. He repeats certain behavior such as reiterating the same phrase and reading books very intensely. He basically lives in this own world. However Raymond has a savant syndrome, a special type of autism that associates with incredible memory, music, or drawing talent. He can memorize a whole book within few hours and not forget it for next months or years. Raymond also has a great ability dealing with numbers. One theory states that the cause of such savant syndrome is the deficiency of other parts of the brain(which causes the retardation) that promotes the extreme growth of certain brain parts.



Explain how this disorder is usually treated. Was this how it was treated in the film? Explain how it was dealt with in the film.

 This disorder cannot be cured 100%, but without certain treatments they will remain socially unresponsive. Through intensive behavioral treatments, their lives are improved in many ways; they improve their social abilities, be able to pay more attention, etc. In this movie, Raymond receives no professional treatment, but diligent copings from his brother. Charlie, Ray’s brother, copes to Ray’s needs such as providing a television and putting his bed by a window. There were some Charlie’s emotional outbursts, but he learns to understand his brother and silently cope with him as the movie draws to an end.



What you learned from watching this film.

 Even though Raymond is an autistic patient, I expected him to have a basic social skills. However, in the movie Raymond completely lacks social skills and has difficulty understand the meanings of the words he says. Without a guardian, he can't function. I could indirectly experience the grief of the patient’s families, living with someone who mostly doesn’t feel emotions. At first I was irritated by Raymond’s repeated behaviors. But as the movie continued I understood that, in Raymond’s point of view he is acting normally. He is just living in his own world alone, unintentionally neglecting other people around him. I felt sorry for the autistic patients because they couldn’t feel emotion, which means that they can’t feel joy and happiness. I learned that patients of savant syndrome can be prevalent in this society.



Your reason for choosing the film.

 I have seen this movie in 10th grade, while I was researching about geniuses. Back then I was fascinated about extraordinary intelligence, questioning the cause of such ability. I studied savant syndrome for a while, hoping to have an answer to my question. Being amazed at the patient’s incredible ability coexisting with a retardation, I enjoyed the movie, and wanted to watch it again. Most important of all, it had a score of 9.06 out of 10 in Naver movie reviews.



Your assessment of your work done and why you should receive the grade you desire.

 Grading: __ Use of class time 5/5 __ Reason for grade: I have effectively used the class time to watch the movie and answer the questions. I didn't really had to spend time at home. __ Depth of work done 14/15 __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Reason for grade: I tried to include information from the textbook and be sincere about how I felt. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> What I learned 5/5 __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Reason for grade: I cried at the end of the movie. I was so touched by an autist's life of how Ray couldn't detect the love he was receiving from his brother. Watching their lives taught me how austists are and how they live, giving me a valuable lesson. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Wikispace's attractiveness 4/5 __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Reason for grade: I am sure there are many grammar errors. Also, I am not really good at designing things. However, I really did try my best. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Total 28/30