Anybody else think that Birdy had Asperger's Syndrome? His obsession with a single topic, namely birds, is one of its ma
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obbie — 18 years ago(October 28, 2007 12:02 PM)
My 10 year old nephew has Asperger's, and I immediately thought of him when I saw the movie - fixation on one topic at the exclusion of all others, unable to empathize with others, doesn't care what others think. It's all there.
I'm hoping nothing puts him over the top to make him catatonic as in the movie. I can see him getting through university, getting a PhD in some obtuse topic, and becoming a mad scientist - kind of like the profs I had at university. -
Infiltr8 — 13 years ago(January 07, 2013 08:10 AM)
Maybe, but there is more to it than that. Birdy seems to be breaking from normal reality well before he is drafted into the military. That just puts him through experiences that cause him to shut off the real world completely. Any bit of AS he may have would have only ended up being secondary to what puts him in that hospital. He was of a fragile psychological state and probably shouldn't have been found eligible for duty. They destroyed any chance he had at a life.
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skinsk-1 — 12 years ago(September 07, 2013 04:53 AM)
I think that's very likely, though back when this movie came out (I was in HS) Asperger's wasn't well known or commonly diagnosed. And the movie was set long before this. . . which makes me wonder how many Vietnam Vets were sent to war with Aspergers or similar mildly debilitating issues?
Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful post. I thought tonight I'd check up on old movie favorites here. Now I want to rewatch this one and when I do, I'll definitely be thinking of this. (I am now a teacher and have worked with high level autistic kids and I have friends with Asperger's kids. These days we catch it so quickly and have services to work with the kids and teach functional skills as well as work with them to expand academics.) -
MozartsMuse — 10 years ago(June 10, 2015 09:19 PM)
I have a bit of a different opinion on this.
I'm not really convinced that he had Asperger's. To me, Birdy simply came across like a shy teenager who had a strong fascination with birds and was likely a zoophile. His zoophilia prevented him from being sexually attracted to humans, and instead, kept his focus on birds. Despite this, he seemed to love and care about Al and had no problem maintaining a strong friendship with him. And then obviously, after experiencing the horrors of war, Birdy was left with posttraumatic stress and catatonia.
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