I just finished watching “Please Stand By” and I think it’s becoming one of my favorite movies.
For those who don’t know, “Please Stand by” is a movie about an autistic writer, Wendy, who’s trying to get her script for a Star Trek episode to be admitted to a writing contest. Things are going bad and she has to go on a road trip to Los Angeles to deliver the script all by herself.
I’ve been surprised to never hear the word “autism” in this movie. Not once, except in the summary. But they didn’t need to do so. This movie doesn’t have the purpose to educate Neurotypicals about autism, but to tell an heartwarming story and the brave tale of a young woman who happens to be autistic.
Wendy feels like a real character. She loves people, but doesn’t always know how to show it. She is a bit naive, but learns from her mistakes and is really clever. Most of all, she’s incredibly determined and able to conquer all of her fears to do what she has to do.
You know that she’s autistic, you can tell it, but you also know that she’s human and it’s something that’s missing from a lot of autistic characters, who are just a textbook of symptoms. Dakota Fanning’s portrayal is truly amazing and full of nuances. She knows when to allow her character to get emotional and when it’s time to step back and let her be calmer, more sure of her.
As an autistic woman and a writer, I deeply related to her story in a way I never had before. Wendy is looking for freedom, independence and, most of all, she wants those who count for her to trust her, which is a bit hard for them to do. I won’t spoil you the ending, but I think that, what matters most than the conclusion, is the journey Wendy went to and how she grew up during it.
I’ve read reviews who seem to regret the “indie movie” feeling that Please stand By has and were hoping for a movie that was more about “autism” than what it is. I disagree with this. Neurotypicals have plenty of movies and documentaries to watch us, to decrypt our behavior and stuff like that.
We almost have nothing for us, a story about us, a story that could happen to anyone else, but happen to be about an autistic woman. In a way, this movie reminded me a lot about the movie “The Road within”, which is about a group of mentally ill young adults escaping from their sort-of institution to go to the sea.
It is a very humane portrayal, that doesn’t forget that their main character (characters, for “the Road within”) is neurodivergent, but also has the heart to show that they’re more than their condition. That being autistic or anything else is just a part of who they are and that they’re their own characters.
“Please stand by” was a pleasant surprise. I hope we’ll get to see more movies like this one. A movie with a script that could apply to a neurotypical character, but who happens to be about an autistic character. I’d like a sci-fi or a fantasy setting. We’re almost never portrayed in this kind of scenario.
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