Perfectly Normal
DOCUMENTARY | 10-1 5 MIN. | CREATIVITY & CONNECTION, HEALTH CHALLENGES
A high-functioning autistic man balances reality with his imaginary world.
But What Does It Mean?
EXPLORE THE FILM'S MEANING →
Even when we feel that we have a sense of a film’s meaning, there is often more to uncover.
Watch this video to better understand the film and why we selected it for the festival.
CLICK TO EXPLORE THE FILM'S THEMES
In the film, Jordan talks about daydreaming and fantasizing about music and the arts to make him happy. What do you daydream or fantasize about to make you happy? Sketch or draw on paper one of these fantasies and allow yourself to live within this world for a moment. Reflect on what it is that makes this fantasy so appealing to you. Are there aspects of the fantasy that you can make real?
Meet the Filmmaker
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
From filmmaker Joris Debeij: “My experience as an expatriate and a background in journalism shaped the foundation of my filmmaking DNA and sparked my interest in documentary. At the age of 18, I was a tape runner and later, a junior producer in the fast-paced newsroom of a daily current event show in the Netherlands. I moved to Los Angeles and developed an interest in the expression of the individual in a social/cultural context.
My filmmaking seeks to reflect the depth of character in a subject and to reveal their place in the broader scheme of a culture. I frequently work with non-actors, shaping their stories, focussing on a core message or value to reflect their truth. I’m interested in experimenting with presenting stories differently and facilitating a fresh perspective with unconventional angles and unexpected turns.
Regardless of what’s on trend, I consider my niche to be in visual storytelling through film using elements of realism, biography, scripting, and direct cinema.”
WHY THEY MADE THE FILM
“I was introduced to Jordan, the effervescent subject of this film, by a mutual friend; we met for lunch at his favorite deli in Los Angeles, where we live. That day, we waded through a getting-to-know-you conversation that somehow felt both more awkward and less awkward than most of its kind. Jordan has Asperger’s syndrome, and so he often gets pulled into his own world, one that can seem chaotic and isolated from ours. But he has learned to make deliberate choices to stay present in reality.
I found myself pleasantly surprised by the quick-witted middle-aged man having lunch across from me. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and movies, and a strikingly clever sense of humor. So I was intrigued. The lunch became the first of many meetings we shared over the course of many months before we started filming this film more than a year later.”
Your Turn: What did YOU think of this film?
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UnLonely Film Fest 4
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ABOUT THE UNLONELY PROJECT
The UnLonely Project broadens public awareness of the negative physical and mental health consequences of loneliness while also promoting creative arts-based approaches to reduce the burden. Click here for mental health resources.
I would like to hear more about PPD. Another form of Autism and loneliness. But, nice to hear about how someone with a mental disability deals with stress and loneliness.