Today's Man

Adventures of a Young Man with Asperger Syndrome

A film by Lizzie Gottlieb

Director Lizzie Gottlieb began filming her brother Nicky when he was 21 and had just been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome - a high functioning form of autism. She sets out to try to understand this disorder and its effects on her brother and her family. The big question for all of them is whether Nicky will be able to live an independent life.

Nicky is a young man of remarkable talents and great charm. At the age of three, he became fluent in Italian in two weeks, and could tell you the day of the week of any date in the last century or the next. However, as a child, and now as an adult, his speech is often peculiar, his interests obsessive, and his interactions odd. He lacks an understanding of what is socially acceptable, and can often behave wildly inappropriately. But he is witty and insightful about his strengths and problems.

Nicky comes from a family of high achievers who nurture him patiently and worry about his future. Will he be able to go out into the world to work and love and sustain what we think of as a "normal" life? Nicky says of himself “I would describe myself as somewhat addictive, somewhat stubborn, somewhat obsessive but deep down I have great determination and – so I’ve been told — I have a lot of love to give.”

55 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $85.

Nantucket Film Festival, 2006
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 2006
Mendocino Film Festival, 2007

“A wonderful, funny, fabulously entertaining film… leads the viewer to love Nicky…” Judith Helfand, Peabody-award winning film director