Understanding Disability ◆ A Memorable Performance That Spread Awareness
Chunichi Shimbun, Morning Edition, December 8, 2006
“Rain Man” (1988, United States)
Autism, one of the best-known developmental disabilities, is a condition that is particularly prone to misunderstanding. The film Rain Man made an important contribution to helping the public develop a more accurate understanding of autism.
Charlie (Tom Cruise), a used-car dealer struggling to keep his business financially afloat, receives news of his father’s death. His father was a man with whom he had lost contact after leaving home as a boy. Hoping to inherit his father’s fortune, Charlie eagerly returns to his hometown in Ohio. However, he is stunned to discover that the heir to the substantial estate is Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), a brother he has never known existed. Raymond has been living in a residential facility because of his autism, and Charlie had never even been told that he had a brother.
In desperation, Charlie takes Raymond out of the facility and plans to become his legal guardian so that he can gain control of the inheritance. He intends to take Raymond with him to Los Angeles, where he lives. But when they arrive at the airport, Raymond stubbornly refuses to get on an airplane. With no other choice, they set off on a long road trip in the car left behind by their father.
Throughout the journey, Charlie is constantly bewildered by his brother’s unusual routines, rigid preferences, and distinctive ways of expressing himself. Yet in Las Vegas, Raymond’s extraordinary memory enables them to win big at card games. It was an example of the remarkable ability often observed in people with autism to remember things they have seen.
As they travel together, Charlie gradually realizes that the “Rain Man,” a mysterious guardian figure from his faint childhood memories, was actually Raymond. He then resolves to become a responsible guardian for his brother.
The younger brother, obsessed with women and money, and the older brother, seemingly detached from the conventions of ordinary society, embark on an unconventional journey filled with both humor and pathos. Through their experiences together, the theme of “living together” gradually made its way into the hearts of audiences.
Autism is a developmental disability associated with differences in brain function that can result in distinctive patterns of behavior in social interactions, as well as differences in cognition, perception, and language. Dustin Hoffman’s remarkable performance brought the reality of an autistic person to the attention of the general public, and his portrayal continues to be remembered and discussed by people involved in the field.
