Even though it’s estimated that 75 million adults in the world have autism spectrum disorder, the authentic media representation on the topic still leaves a lot to be desired. There’s certainly more projects than before starring autistic people, but when I asked 20-year-old writer/actress Bella Zoe Martinez if she could point to one, perhaps among the 2025 movies or TV releases, that she could applaud, she came up blank. In her case, she’s taking it in her hands in a sense with her short film, Once More, Like Rain Man.
Back in 2023, she had the opportunity to star in the 15-minute comedy about a 14-year-old named Zoe who is going on a string of Hollywood auditions for autistic roles, only to be told over and over that she doesn’t fit the part. She wrote the script herself, and made the short with nearly 40% of the cast and crew consisting of people who are either neurodiverse or living with a disability, and its director being As We See It star (who is also autistic) Sue Ann Pien. Martinez said this of her inspirations for the short during our Zoom interview:
