Can't focus on anything today because I'm thinking about how characters who are Autistic are used by neurotypical filmmakers as avatars to step into imagined realities that reduce the experience to a cartoon, alienating and condescending ppl with ASD.

If the creators of Music knew ANYTHING about autism, they'd know that one of the most challenging symptoms of ASD is sensory overload. So, like, a bright loud banging musical is legit saying "WE DID NOT MAKE THIS MOVIE FOR YOU" to every person with ASD.

They would also know that women with ASD are especially talented in the performing arts and acting, so hiring a neurotypical actor is genuinely mystifying, unless their goal was to infantilise the character/make her a caricature.

If you want to make a film about women with ASD, you need to *at least* give women with ASD creative roles on your team. It's not about "representation", it's about making movies that aren't ableist and won't reduce neurodivergent people to animals who need to be domesticated.

It breaks my heart, because the community is desperate to see their stories on screen - especially women with ASD - but we have to cop this 'The Other Sister' sanctimonious neurotypical-saviour oversaturated vomit explosion instead.

If you want to see a story about neurodivergence done right, watch @JoshThomas87's Everything's Gonna Be Okay. Matilda's awkward, funny, forthright and flawed. You know, like a person. And she's played by Kayla Cromer, who has ASD.

OK I feel a bit better now lol.