Curation

Films, series, documentaries

19 works honestly analysed. Some excellent, others problematic but culturally important. We say why in each case.

Curation as of 2026-04-20.

Nuanced Documentary 2022 · US

The Disruptors

Stephanie Soechtig · 95 min

Documentary produced by Ron Howard: entrepreneurs, athletes, and artists diagnosed with ADHD.

What it brings

Steps outside the purely medical story and shows high-achievement paths. Good for skeptical friends and family.

Heads up

The 'ADHD = superpower' narrative has been criticized — it glosses over inattentive presentations, women, and comorbidities. Can guilt-trip anyone who isn't 'succeeding'.

Apple TV, Amazon Prime · TDAH

Nuanced Documentary 2018 · US

Take Your Pills

Alison Klayman · 87 min

An investigation into the explosion of Adderall/Ritalin prescriptions in the US.

What it brings

Puts the medication debate on the table: treatment versus cognitive doping. Useful context for the France/US difference.

Heads up

US bias. Can reinforce unjustified wariness in people who would actually benefit from treatment.

Netflix · TDAH + médicaments

Strong representation Short film 2024 · UK

Impulse: Playing with Reality

May Abdalla, Barry Gene Murphy · 35 min

An immersive VR documentary, awarded at Venice 2024. Narrated by Tilda Swinton. Over 100 hours of interviews.

What it brings

Makes you FEEL ADHD instead of explaining it. A reference for neurodivergent UX.

Heads up

Requires a Meta Quest. Centered on more severe presentations.

Meta Quest · TDAH immersif

Strong representation Documentary 2020 · UK

The Reason I Jump

Jerry Rothwell · 82 min

Adaptation of Naoki Higashida's book. Five non-speaking autistic young people across five countries. Sundance 2020.

What it brings

Its sensory treatment tries to approximate the autistic experience. Centers non-speaking voices.

Heads up

Facilitated communication, used by some of the subjects, remains scientifically contested.

Mubi, Amazon Prime · autisme

Strong representation Series 2022 · AU

Heartbreak High (reboot)

Hannah Carroll Chapman · 3 saisons

Australian reboot. Quinni (Chloé Hayden — autistic with ADHD) co-wrote the character with her own input.

What it brings

One of the best representations to date. Masking, sensory overwhelm, queer plus autistic sexuality. A 'by and for' case study.

Heads up

Explicit scenes (16+). Still leans toward 'telegenic' neurodivergence.

Netflix · AuDHD

Strong representation Series 2022 · US

As We See It

Jason Katims · 1 saison

Three housemates in their 20s on the spectrum. All three leads are autistic, plus 12 autistic crew members.

What it brings

Authentic casting is the gold standard here. Adult life, employment, sexuality.

Heads up

Centered on three white Americans. Canceled after one season despite glowing reviews.

Amazon Prime · autisme

Nuanced Series 2022 · KR

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Yoo In-shik · 16 épisodes

An autistic lawyer starts at a top Seoul law firm. Global hit in 2022.

What it brings

In a Korean context where autism is associated with family shame, this show moved the needle on visibility.

Heads up

Leans into the savant stereotype (around 10% of autistic people). Lead actress is not autistic. The original title 'Weird Attorney Woo' is problematic.

Netflix · autisme

Problematic Reality TV 2019 · AU/US

Love on the Spectrum

Cian O'Clery · 4 saisons

Reality TV following autistic adults looking for love. Emmy-winning.

What it brings

Popular and widely cited — worth watching alongside its critique.

Heads up

Childlike music over people's interests, more parent interviews than participant ones, a 'normalization' frame, white casting. The '5% find love' stat is fabricated. Risk of infantilizing the subjects.

Netflix · autisme

Nuanced Series 2017 · US

Atypical

Robia Rashid · 4 saisons

Sam Gardner, an autistic teen, looks for love. Seasons 2-4 retroactively correct with autistic actors.

What it brings

A 'learning curve' case study — a show that actually listened to criticism between seasons.

Heads up

Keir Gilchrist (Sam) is not autistic. 'White male savant' trope. 'Burden on the family' framing.

Netflix · autisme

Nuanced Series 2023 · US

Shrinking

Bill Lawrence, Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein · 3 saisons

A grieving therapist starts breaking the rules. Harrison Ford plays his mentor, who has Parkinson's.

What it brings

Handles adult mental health, therapy, grief, and trauma with care. Common ground for many AuDHD adults.

Heads up

No labeled ADHD or autism on screen. Romanticizes the therapist role.

Apple TV+ · santé mentale adulte

Strong representation Film 2022 · US

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert · 139 min

A laundromat owner jumps between parallel universes. Seven Oscars including Best Picture in 2023.

What it brings

Daniel Kwan was diagnosed with ADHD while writing it — the structure mirrors hyperstimulation. Resonates with many ADHD adults.

Heads up

No character is explicitly labeled ADHD — this is an allegorical reading.

Prime Video, Canal+ · TDAH allégorique

Strong representation Series 2023 · US

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Jon Steinberg, Dan Shotz · 2 saisons

12-year-old Percy, ADHD plus dyslexia, is a demigod. ADHD = warrior reflexes, dyslexia = a brain wired for ancient Greek.

What it brings

Youth-friendly: ADHD isn't 'fixed' by the end — it's revalued. Rick Riordan wrote this after his son's diagnosis.

Heads up

The 'superpower' narrative still needs nuance. Disney-friendly smoothing of the harder edges.

Disney+ · TDAH + dyslexie

Strong representation Animated series 2024 · US

Carl the Collector

Zachariah OHora · épisodes courts

The first PBS Kids series with a neurodivergent lead character. Production team is partly autistic.

What it brings

A rare 3-8 resource for autistic/ADHD kids and their neurotypical peers.

Heads up

No confirmed official French dub yet.

PBS Kids · autisme enfant

Problematic Series 2017 · US

The Good Doctor

David Shore · 7 saisons

Shaun Murphy, an autistic savant surgeon. Seven seasons, massive hit.

What it brings

UNAVOIDABLE in public imagination. Analyzing its flaws helps refute the stereotypes.

Heads up

Savant stereotype (under 1% of autistic people). Freddie Highmore is not autistic. 'Problem to manage' framing.

Disney+, TF1+ · autisme

Problematic Film 1988 · US

Rain Man

Barry Levinson · 133 min

Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) and his autistic savant brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Four Oscars in 1989.

What it brings

Defined 'autism' in the collective imagination for 30+ years. Essential to deconstruct.

Heads up

Peak savant stereotype. Hoffman isn't autistic. The protagonist is a vehicle for his neurotypical brother. NEVER show this without a critical discussion.

Prime Video, Apple TV · autisme

Nuanced Film 2019 · FR

Hors normes

Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano · 114 min

Two associations take in autistic young people rejected by institutions. Inspired by Le Silence des Justes. Cannes 2019.

What it brings

Cast REAL autistic people. Addresses autistic people with severe support needs, who are often made invisible.

Heads up

Caregiver-centric lens. CLE Autistes (a French self-advocacy group) called out the 'white savior' framing and the absence of adult autistic voices.

Netflix, Canal+ · autisme

Nuanced Series 2019 · FR/BE

Astrid et Raphaëlle

Alexandre de Seguins, Laurent Burtin · 5 saisons

A police duo: impulsive Raphaëlle plus Astrid, an autistic (Asperger) archivist. One of the three co-creators is himself diagnosed Asperger.

What it brings

The most-watched French series with an autistic lead. Sara Mortensen worked with autism organizations.

Heads up

Procedural format = 'autistic Sherlock' trope. Lead actress is not autistic. The term 'Asperger' was removed from the DSM-5 in 2013.

France.tv · autisme

Strong representation Documentary 2023 · FR/DE

Moi (in)attentif / TDAH chez l'adulte

ARTE Regards · 30-45 min

An ARTE report: Milena Glimbovski plus first-hand accounts. Myths, work life, relationships, strategies.

What it brings

A rare recent French documentary on adult ADHD. Short format, free on YouTube. Share it with family and friends.

Heads up

Short format = skims the surface. 'Inspiring testimony' angle, light on critical science.

Arte.tv, YouTube · TDAH adulte

Strong representation Documentary 2024 · FR/DE

TDAH : dysfonctionnement cérébral ou social ?

ARTE / Tracks · 15-25 min

A short-form piece asking: neurological condition or social construct?

What it brings

Rare French content that dares to explore the social model versus the medical model. Essential for product-side thinking.

Heads up

Risk of instrumentalization ('if it's social, no need to treat'). The message can get distorted on social media.

Arte.tv, YouTube · TDAH