I really think it's just serious depression, since his experiences fit what happens when someone gets really depressed. He self-isolates to the point where he lost his ability to connect with people. He seems able enough to know certain ways he should act, he's just really awkward because of his isolation. I bet that would lead to people calling him strange, since most people don't like awkwardness.
Like I said in my earlier post, I've been through some fairly serious depression, and what Michael describes is pretty much exactly the kind of thing I went through; in a lot of social situations, I still act a lot like he does and I don't have autism. Depression can be a really serious thing, and I have a feeling that's what Noonan was going for with this movie - it's about loneliness and isolation. Both characters go through that, and it's because of their own personal hangups and problems; I guess autism could be a part of that, but I doubt that's what Noonan intended, especially when he painted such an accurate portrayal of the effects of depression.
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GuyOnTheLeft
11 years ago
Oh, I know it's a serious thing. My wife suffers from depression (or in medical terms, at least dysthemia if not full-on, clinical depression); and it killed my father (via suicide). But neither of them ever engaged in such odd, eccentric behaviour as Michael did.
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supergrunger10
11 years ago
Like I said, it is possible for depression to cause odd behavior. The brief bit of psychology study I've done indicated that, and it was certainly my own personal experience. I've always been a shy person, but a prolonged self-isolation, like what Michael describes, basically makes you forget how to interact with people, and I assume it's easier for that to happen if you're awkward to begin with. That leads to all kinds of behavior that seems socially odd.
Strangely enough, I have a cousin that has high functioning autism, and he tends to do a lot better in social situations than I do. Reactions to these conditions can vary a lot from person to person.
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blacknyellowsquid
7 years ago
Sorry about your father.
As for my opinion on this thread, no I didn't think Michael was autistic. Depression, definitely as we all agree. And perhaps some other kind of mental illness or instability, though not sure what. When he talks about having a breakdown in college, that implies whatever is ailing him was enough that he had to drop out and stop. Sometimes depression does get so severe that you lose touch with reality some.... severe depression/anxiety/stress could lead to some psychosis, dissociative breaks, etc.
I think he was at least depressed, maybe more, but not autistic.
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