Two well-known autistic actors, Emily Carrey (“Gentle Girl”) and Laura Blue (“Something of Sparks”) showcase the unusual project in which Neurodyverse talent controls creative processes, both on-screen and off-screen.
Screenwriter Samantha Locock developed the script around Goth’s appeal to subculture, but after receiving an autism diagnosis, she has no realised that the story reflects her own neurotypical experience of seeking understanding in a often confused world.
“I don’t think I fully understand why people were so deeply intrigued by how they suddenly became goth,” Locock said. “Now I think this movie needs to try to understand the world around you. You can’t always take things at face value. Even if it’s stupid, you have to keep searching until you find an answer that’s meaningful to you.”
The project highlights representative ongoing challenges. A study from the Ruderman Family Foundation shows that less than 5% of autistic characters are actually portrayed by actors who are autistic.
After learning about the filmmaker’s neurological abilities, Carrie discovers an immediate connection to the Locock script. The “House of the Dragon” actor stars in the Netflix adaptation of Holly Smale’s “Geek Girl,” created by an autistic writer.
“Generally speaking, the autism perspective offers a unique attention to detail and a lack of restraint when it comes to creativity,” Carrie said. “This short is very stupid, yet meticulously made. It’s so refreshing to work with like-minded, nervous people about this, and I think we’ve created something magical.”
“It’s an honor to play an autistic character that people with autism wrote as people with autism,” Blue said. “This role felt like a great opportunity to explore the struggle of “finding yourself” through the lens of women’s autism experiences, not “a film about autism,” but through the lens of women’s autism experiences (although they are important too). ”
Producer Popinite, who previously worked with Locock, connected with the material through personal memories of the teenage subculture transformation before understanding his perspective on neural expansion.
“I was initially drawn to the project for some nostalgic reasons,” Knight said. “I remember this early teenage years when everyone started going from everyday kids to goth and emo. That’s what I was interested in. But like Samantha, I wasn’t diagnosed until the second half of my adult life, and the story of “Mall Goth” conveyed this nerve curiosity, and it felt like it spoke to me more.
The film operates under the prime time banner on the platform of Victoria M3, a nervous actor producer who is dedicated to amplifying underrated voices across the spectrum of disability, gender, global majority and sexuality. Emslie recently premiered “Truckload,” directed by Aella Jordan-Edge on Tribeca.
“Subtle expressions are not checkbox exercises, they are cultural, economic and social responsibility,” M3 said. “This film is a window into an invisible world that is genuine and explored. This is what happens when you invest in people who tell their stories.”
The short will be screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival in October this year.
