Rain Man Movie Analysis

The title of my selected movie is “Rain Man”. I chose to write about this movie because it shows the attitude that people get when they are placed in uncomfortable situations. This movie is about a wicked unadventurous man name Charlie (Played by Tom Cruise) who was going through a financial crisis. He was the type of man that lived his life with one purpose, and that was to earn money and to exclude everything else. His relationships with others was shallow, and only with the aim of gaining benefits from others. He had a girlfriend who was frustrated by his shallow attitude towards life. He was manipulative, a sociopath, and an opportunist.

Even though Charlie was estranged from his father, when he received news that his father had passed
During their drive back to Los Angeles, Charlie realizes that his brother was not communicating with him so he became frustrated with his brother. But, what Charlie did not know was that his brother was incapably of responding to him or anyone else. Charlie later found out that his brother suffered with “Autism Spectrum Disorder”, which is a neurodevelopment disorder that impairs his ability to communicate or interact with others. Charlie had the attitude of frustration because he felt his brother was just acting stupid. Charlie did not understand the nature of Autism. Once he learned about Autism, he started trying to help his brother Raymond by caring for him and trying to make him feel comfortable and safe. Charlie’s attitude of frustration was a hindrance to Raymond but in the end he became compassionate and understanding of his brothers’ mental illness.

This movie shows how most people can react when they lack knowledge of mental illness. They seem to develop a fear of the unknown that leads them to a poor attitude on the subject of mental illness. I feel that the study of mental illness and its relationship with society can go a long ways if people would just take the time to truly research and find solutions as to how to fight stereotypes and how to educate society. It’s time that mental illness stop being used as a scapegoat and be recognized as a real struggle in today’s society.