Being Different: Edward Scissorhands and Asperger's

 

Hello, reader, it's Jay again. It's been quite a while since I last wrote here, I've been surprisingly busy, considering lockdown is still in place! One of the things I have been doing is trying to organise our new YouTube show, Kino Introducing, the first episode of which comes out today, so go and take a look at that on our YouTube channel!

This subject is very close to my heart, so I thought putting it on our blog was almost of paramount importance! You may have seen the advertising for our last open conversation, which was about Tim Burton's 1990 classic, Edward Scissorhands. The conversation was about the film in general, but we focussed on its link to Asperger's for a section of the event in celebration of international Asperger's day, which is today (February 18th)! I wanted to share some of the things we talked about and my interpretation, as I feel it is something that people might have an interest in and, really, it is a way of seeing this film that I believe is extremely important. So, take your time, maybe refresh yourself on the film, relax (of course) and let me guide you through one of my favourite films ever released! 

What is Asperger's?  

I'm going to assume that most people reading this are neurotypical (not on the spectrum) or do not have Asperger's, so allow me to explain what it is. I'll also clarify that I am someone who lives with Asperger's and I will be talking from my experiences, with reference to the general population of fellow Aspies. I feel this needs mentioning because, of course, everyone has different experiences with the disorder and I have tried to be as general as possible when sharpening this interpretation.

Now, back to what I set out to do: explain what Asperger Syndrome is! Asperger's is, in simple terms, a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum that affects social interaction and communication. From my own experiences, this has caused an extreme reluctance to engage in social activities and there is strong anxiety that is created from the idea of large social gatherings. I also have great difficulty with non-verbal communication and, to an extent, understanding the complexities of tones in speech. What this leads to is someone who perceives the world very differently from a neurotypical person and can often behave in ways some may call inappropriate. Already, you may be starting to see Edward Scissorhands differently. Some other common characteristics of Asperger's are: not expressing feelings outwardly and wallowing in solidarity. It's great. This doesn't mean that I hate everyone, I enjoy spending time with the people I love more than I enjoy so many other things, but I also feel that I enjoy the time I spend alone just as much. 

Within this time, I will most often be doing something to do with one of my 'hyperfixations' or 'special interests'. There are many names for these, but I call them and will reference them as hyperfixations for the rest of this post. These are interests that we have are essentially built up until we become banks of knowledge on them, or we have mastered the skill, if the fixation is a skill. This is because when we find a hyperfixation, there is a sudden need to know everything about it, even the tiniest details. These hyperfixations can last for a few weeks, a few months, even years. There are even some that I am pretty sure will stick for life. Usually, the amount of time that a hyperfixation lasts will differ from Aspie to Aspie. Most of my own last for life, but I become less obsessed with them once I have found out everything there is to know about them at the time. Some examples of my own hyperfixations, just to provide context as to how specific they can be, are films, Doctor Who, music, Stephen King and The Walking Dead. With some of those, there are also more focused fixations, such as David Lynch (who I am borderline obsessed with), or many many musical artists (the current prominent one is the fantastic folky rocky band The Mountain Goats). A lot of the time, people with Asperger's try to use their hyperfixations as the grounds of their careers, which is why lots become prolific academics or creatives.

I'll also, for lack of a better place to put it, state here that most of the interpretation I have comes from the fact that Burton identifies with Asperger's. I say identifies because he has never been officially diagnosed (at least to the knowledge of the public), however, Helena Bonham-Carter, who was married to Burton for more than a decade strongly suspected that Tim had the condition after she researched it for a film role. Usually, this would be nowhere near enough evidence for me to make the conclusion, however, after seeing all of Burton's films, picking them apart endlessly and then doing the same to many interviews, I would be in one-hundred percent agreement with the statement that he is on the spectrum. Edward Scissorhands (the film) itself could have done it, once you've heard my interpretation, I'm quite sure you'll never be able to forget it (that's a lot of pressure, I'm putting on myself, I know...)

The Interpretation

I think the best place to start is to establish the main idea, the recurring image within the film that made me start thinking about this interpretation; the pastel neighbourhood and the almost monochromatic castle. Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby compared living with autism to living in one neighbourhood whilst everyone you know lives in another. This is an extremely accurate way of describing how it feels sometimes and Edward Scissorhands is an especially explicit depiction of this. The cartoonish style of the film allows Burton to establish all of these ideas easily, without the need to appear entirely realistic. In other words, there is a certain artificiality that is endearing yet meaningful. On the one hand, I do sometimes think when looking onto the proverbial neurotypical neighbourhood that surrounds me that everything seems artificial, but I also envy the ease that people have in interacting. It looks very colourful from afar. 

It is also worth discussing how the castle looks compared to the Battenberg suburbia. This, I don't think, was done just to juxtapose, I think this represents how many neurotypicals, especially in the '90s, viewed autism and its related disorders. When you look at the castle, it does not look inviting, it looks the complete opposite! This is reminiscent of the very negative perspectives many had at the time of the film's conception. Autism and Asperger's were looked at more like a disease or something dangerous (look at some of the commercials created for the Autism Speaks 'charity' *I shudder* (the most sickening of which was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who I have developed a deep disrespect for) and they should tell you all you need to know about the general mindset, especially in America) and the foreboding look of the castle, Edward's autistic neighbourhood, is its own very effective 'keep out' sign. Edward himself matches the castle's look, the nature of it too, he stands out amongst all of the colours because of his lack of colour. On the outside, he and the castle look terrifying, completely uninviting and something that sticks out like a sore thumb - something that does not belong, however, on the inside, the castle is a beautifully complex structure with unique architecture and filled with wonder (an extraordinary courtyard and a biscuit factory!) and Edward is a tender, well-meaning, innocent being who is just experiencing the world in a very different way to other people. This leads nicely onto the star of the show: the scissors!

Without his scissor hands, Edward would just be Edward, however, he would be 'normal'. It's the scissors, people. The scissors are this film's way of representing Asperger's. Initially, it may seem far-fetched, but you'll have to hear me out. Those scissors give Edward his limitations, but they also give him a uniqueness and a set of skills that see him praised for a large portion of the film. As you can see in the screengrab above, the scissors create such a range of reactions; there's a morbid interest, there's a desperate need to figure out how to approach them and, naturally, there is an awkwardness. I think there are elements of all of these in life. I think many people become interested in what living life is like when you work in such different ways, like two completely different cultures. I also think so many people feel the need to treat people on the spectrum differently. With high functioning autism, which is the end of the spectrum Asperger's falls under, this is not normally necessary. Yes, there are things we need in our lifestyles that a neurotypical usually wouldn't, but generally, not much adaptation is needed, just a willingness to adapt slightly where needed (which at most will often be taking out all of the very complex figures of speech!). Unfortunately, there can often be an awkwardness that comes along with being on the spectrum, an awkwardness that usually is not anyone's fault, it's usually created when someone on the spectrum lets someone who normally hasn't knowingly encountered an autistic person. This doesn't happen all the time, in fact, it doesn't happen much at all now, but I can imagine it happened a lot more when the film was released. 

All of the things I have just described have also got a more specific part of the film that exhibits these reactions slightly better. The morbid interest is definitely apparent when Joyce and her band of gossiping mums (I should probably say 'moms') organise a barbeque on Peg's behalf, just to get a closer look at Edward. Luckily, this hasn't yet happened to me and I haven't ended up being force-fed ambrosia salad by one of my mother's (non-existent) touchy-feely friends... yet. The need to figure out how to interact with Edward is seen most often in Kim, whose bond with Edward grows slowly throughout the film, though I'll talk in a lot more detail about this later! The awkwardness is ever-present in some form and is the basis of most of the film's humour, which I think is absolutely fine. The funniest of these moments is the whole scene in Edward's salon in which Joyce ends up undressing in front of the completely oblivious Edward. Although I am confident in saying that if this ever happened to me I would realise what was trying to be achieved, there have been so many times I have missed the more subtle references to similar things. If two characters in a film or a television show fall deeply in love, I usually won't realise it until they say it or end up kissing (which has previously been a very big shock). Many people would say it isn't fair to make fun of these sorts of mishaps, but I am going to stand up as an autistic person and shout that jokes like this should be made a lot more, but with a lot of care, because the funniest line of the film came from some of Burton's satirical self-deprecation: 

The deadpan expression just makes it gold.

Of course, this interpretation I have does give the film an entirely new meaning and therefore this does create some negativity surrounding autism and Asperger's, so this I will discuss. The main criticism I would have (though I can also defend Burton) is the presentation of the relationship, or lack thereof, between Edward and Kim. It's no secret that people with Asperger's and autism often have trouble with social interaction and therefore, by default, relationships of any kind pose a few challenges that neurotypicals wouldn't normally face, however, this does not mean that relationships of any kind are impossible. Edward Scissorhands as a film, if we are interpreting the film as an allegory for Asperger's, does seem to say that the disorder prevents the affected person from starting romantic relationships. This is (as I'd hope you'd know/assume) codswallop/a hilariously bad depiction/plainly offensive/[any other way of saying 'absolute rubbish' that you can think of]. The sequence that I think of when thinking about this criticism is the film's most famous exchange between Kim and Edward:

KIM

Hold me.

EDWARD

I can't.

Sad choral music intensifies.

The only reason Edward is unable to embrace Kim is his set of handy blades, which I believe are the Asperger's. If Tim Burton wasn't an Aspie or anywhere on the spectrum, this would be disgusting, almost Cuarónion, and my opinions on the film would decrease significantly. It is only because Burton is almost certainly on the spectrum that this is not a horrible othering of people on the spectrum, but perhaps a self-reflection, which has almost certainly been exaggerated. Just after the film's production, Burton and his then-wife, Lena Gieseke, were divorced. It can be assumed that this was due to problems that were present in their relationship whilst the film was being written or conceptualised. This then provides some context as to why Burton would be making such strong and wrong depictions; they aren't general, they are more autobiographical. Perhaps at this point in the film, things do get autobiographical, or maybe my interpretation is way too general and this is not a story about Asperger's but a story instead about Burton. It seems silly to me that someone on the spectrum would be happy to just proclaim (in art form) that people like them are literally unable to connect with people on a physical and emotional level. Yes, it is difficult to make friends and to connect, but it is not impossible. I am currently defying this depiction and having my first experiences with deeper emotional connections and attractions and I can confirm that it is not my scissor hands that are posing the biggest obstacles, it's lockdown! Asperger's is not something that can be cured and so the struggles are not easily overcome by the person who is affected by them, but rather the relationships between autistic and neurotypical people usually see the neurotypical developing an understanding of the autistic traits. The beginnings of this can be seen with Kim, not necessarily with speech and actions, but instead by costume. Unless you had your eyes closed for the entirety of the film (or are colour blind or have a visual impairment, in which case I apologise for that joke) you will have noticed the abundance of colour in the sets and costumes apart from Edward's. Every other character is always wearing colour, even if it is just a tiny bit. However, by the end of the film, when Edward and Kim share the 'hold me' exchange, Kim is not wearing any colour. To me, this illustrates how Kim connects to Edward's way of life, accepting him and understanding him. 

Another criticism that the film usually gets is (like Beetlejuice) that the ending sends some very bad messages. On the surface, it does appear this way. Essentially telling audiences who identify with Edward's misfit status that they should continue to hide away from the world is not a typically positive thing, however, I think many people miss the point of the ending. As I mentioned earlier, most people with Asperger's develop hyperfixations that overtake their lives, often having something to do with their eventual careers. Edward is no exception to this - his hyperfixations are topiary and ice sculpting, which he makes with his Asperger's (scissor hands). When Peg first visits the castle, she sees that the garden is full of topiary, which instantly establishes Edward's love for making plain old shrubbery into works of art. Similarly, if you walked into my room, you'd instantly see shelves full of CDs, multiple shelves of Doctor Who box sets, Stephen King books, DVDs and even a print of a promotional Edward Scissorhands poster on my wall. We Aspies literally surround ourselves with what we love. We also make any excuse to engage with a hyperfixation at any point in the day, very similar to how Edward randomly creates a dinosaur in the Boggs's back garden and eventually makes a living (cookies) from his labour. He does what he loves. This is why I don't think the ending of the film is bad, I think it's a really, really positive message and I love it! Burton is not saying to 'outsiders' to accept their outsider status, he is calling everyone with hyperfixations to embrace them and to hold them close, ignoring what others think of them for it. The final image of Edward in the film is of him creating his ice sculptures in his castle. He is in his safe space doing what he loves and he is making snow in the process, snow being the thing that everyone down below loves. Yes, Edward never sees Kim again and yes, he doesn't leave the castle, but I'm willing to say that is for story purposes. Even the music indicates positivity! As Edward is revealed to be creating the ice sculptures and the snow, the music crescendoes into a triumphant burst of what I interpret as victorious music. It may be hard to see for some and I'm sure this opinion is divisive, but I'd love to hear how others feel about this. 

I don't think there is anything left to say in relation to the film and Asperger's, as always with interpretations, it is completely subjective and of course should not be taken as fact, especially considering Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter had not met at this point, let alone had the chance to talk about the autistic spectrum. I can only encourage that you rewatch the film with all of this information in mind, maybe you will see the points I have made, or maybe you won't! I'd also encourage you to go and look for some information about Asperger's, if you weren't already that aware of what it is. Whilst researchers say that only one person in every 250-500 people has Asperger's, it is still something that you should be made aware of and I'd love to promote that on international Asperger's day. It's always great to learn about difficulties people may have in day-to-day life, just so communication can be as simple as possible for everyone. Maybe you think that I have made it out to be a really nasty thing to deal with, which it isn't at all, it's got it's negatives, but there are plenty of positives too! 

Here is the best place to read up about it: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/asperger-syndrome

But, without anything left to say, I will sign off now and thank you very much for reading this unintentionally lengthy post. I hope you've found something of value within it and have maybe found something else in a film you love (or a reason to watch a film that I love!) So, until next time, which hopefully won't be long, goodbye! 

- Jay