Autistic Movie Plot Filmed in Spokane Washington
You may have heard the buzz a few years ago that Josh Hartnett was in Spokane filming a movie that dealt with autism. Mozart and the Whale has finally hit theaters here.
'Tell Jerry Newport your birth date, and he's likely to surprise you.
"He can tell you how many seconds old you are," says Radha Mitchell, star of the film "Mozart & the Whale," which opens today in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene and Pullman.
"I mean, he knows how many moons have gone through in your lifetime," Mitchell says in a telephone interview. "Sometimes he calls me up on my birthday and tells me how old I am in seconds. He's really impressive."
No doubt. Newport is so impressive, in fact, that he and his wife, Mary, are what inspired Oscar winner Ronald Bass more than a decade ago to write the screenplay for "Mozart & the Whale," a film about an inhibited math savant played by Josh Hartnett who falls for the free-wheeling character played by Mitchell.
What's impressive is that Newport and his wife, and the characters in the film, all live with what's known as Asperger's syndrome. A mild form of autism, Asperger's isn't always easy to detect. Symptoms can include an inability to make friends easily, repetitive physical mannerisms, a strict adherence to ritual (the need for order, for example) and intensively focused interests – such as an obsession with math. But depending on the severity, a person with the condition can lead a more or less normal life.
"I think of Asperger's as kind of the Diet Pepsi of autism," says Newport, who was at a reception and screening of the film Wednesday night at River Park Square.
"It's different in a maddening way because people with Asperger's aren't as obvious as people with autism," he says. "It's not until they open their mouths."
"Mozart & the Whale," which was filmed in Spokane for more than a month starting in March 2004, shows that well enough. The film is the story of two people who, though attracted to each other, struggle because the normal relationship problems they encounter are magnified by their conditions.'
Autistic Movie Plot Filmed in Spokane Washington
'Tell Jerry Newport your birth date, and he's likely to surprise you.
"He can tell you how many seconds old you are," says Radha Mitchell, star of the film "Mozart & the Whale," which opens today in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d'Alene and Pullman.
"I mean, he knows how many moons have gone through in your lifetime," Mitchell says in a telephone interview. "Sometimes he calls me up on my birthday and tells me how old I am in seconds. He's really impressive."
No doubt. Newport is so impressive, in fact, that he and his wife, Mary, are what inspired Oscar winner Ronald Bass more than a decade ago to write the screenplay for "Mozart & the Whale," a film about an inhibited math savant played by Josh Hartnett who falls for the free-wheeling character played by Mitchell.
What's impressive is that Newport and his wife, and the characters in the film, all live with what's known as Asperger's syndrome. A mild form of autism, Asperger's isn't always easy to detect. Symptoms can include an inability to make friends easily, repetitive physical mannerisms, a strict adherence to ritual (the need for order, for example) and intensively focused interests – such as an obsession with math. But depending on the severity, a person with the condition can lead a more or less normal life.
"I think of Asperger's as kind of the Diet Pepsi of autism," says Newport, who was at a reception and screening of the film Wednesday night at River Park Square.
"It's different in a maddening way because people with Asperger's aren't as obvious as people with autism," he says. "It's not until they open their mouths."
"Mozart & the Whale," which was filmed in Spokane for more than a month starting in March 2004, shows that well enough. The film is the story of two people who, though attracted to each other, struggle because the normal relationship problems they encounter are magnified by their conditions.'
Autistic Movie Plot Filmed in Spokane Washington
posted by M.L.D. at 2:59 PM
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