MovieChat Forums > The Girl in the Café (2005) Discussion > Might Lawrence have had mild form of Asp...

Might Lawrence have had mild form of Asperger's???

posted 16 years ago by Flickfan-3
5 replies | jump to latest

Just saw this last night on DVD
thought it was fantasy but had such strong performaces I was willing to be entranced by its lets-forget-the-real-world-would have had her screened from the moment she gave her name for the airline ticket scenerio

would anyone else consider the possibility that Lawrence with his body ticks, weird walking at times, painful shyness and social ineptness, but brilliant intelligence (only reason he was working where he was had to be that he was the sharpest tack in the room) might have had mild form of Asperger's Syndrome?

whether he knew it or not--
think Bill Nighy did great job of using all his talent to bring a 360 degree performance of a person--not just a character...

"...That's the beauty of argument, Joey. If you argue correctly, you're never wrong..."

[–] Niador 15 years ago

No. My brother has aspergers and I would not say that Lawrence did/does. LAwrence is just awkward and shy, like many people. He is aware of people's reactions/feelings, he is witty and funny, and he is very sensitive to body language. So no.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Niador 14 years ago

Perhaps, but just because he is shy and awkward doesn't mean Lawrence has Asperger's. He CLEARLY doesn't, so I am not sure why people always think a shy, awkward person has it. It's really frustrating.

[–] seven-year-itch 14 years ago

I agree. I think people see one example of someone with a disorder (often on TV), and they form a simplistic prototype in their mind based on what they observe. Please correct me if my information is outdated, but I learned that the social awkwardness associated with Asperger's isn't the same as shyness. It's associated with perceptual difficulties. If you can't "read" other people's facial expressions, it is hard to know how to respond. Lawrence seemed to have a high level of empathy and perceptiveness, even though he was shy.

[–] BB7827 14 years ago

Politics is far more likely than Aspergers. As I have said before- it is very likely that someone as introverted and socially inept would hold a position advising a top government official. It is also highly likely that the job made him this inverted and socially inept. When people work in jobs this intense and demanding it creates a sort of tunnel vision. Add to that that you end up knowing many, many things you really wish you didn't know- things that change you- and you wake up one day in your mid-fifties and realize you have no friends because you have given yourself totally to an endeavor that, while important, consumes you. It will not keep you warm at night, indeed it is the stuff of your nightmares. It will become your drug and your god. You will not be able to live with or without it.

"I'm with the Government and I'm here to help you." me, every d@mn day of my life