The Stimming Pool
A co-creation of artist-filmmaker Steven Eastwood and a group of artists with autism known as the Neurocultures Collective, The Stimming Pool explores the various facets, universal and unique, of the autistic experience.
This movie exists somewhere between documentary and fiction, with the members of the Neurocultures Collective producing short films representing their individual experiences through the lens of their autism, with behind-the-scenes footage of the production of each film acting as the connective tissue to join these disparate parts into a coherent but diverse whole. This “hybrid film” approach allows the piece to touch on various aspects of life with autism, with the individual vignettes coming together to form a rich and detailed gestalt.
Topics such as the social aspects of autism (including the concept of “masking” and the stimming referenced in the title), the ways that autism can impact one’s sensory experience of the world and by extension shape creativity, and experiences with healthcare professionals are explored in The Stimming Pool’s narrative, with impressively tight editing to keep proceedings at just under an hour without any individual piece of the larger puzzle feeling underserved.
This variety of topics and creators brings a full spectrum of mediums, genres and cinematographic styles, resulting in a constantly-shifting cinematic landscape that actively engages with its audience and challenges their preconceived notions of the language of film. The Stimming Pool is built around the concept of an “autistic camera”, which manifests in a camera style that emphasises the off-beats and plays with convention in unusual ways, but never disorients or overwhelms.
There’s a real sense of intimacy and sincerity in the camera work that helps join its diverse narrative voices together, while allowing those voices the individual space and breathing room to fully express themselves. Stylistically, The Stimming Pool has a little bit of everything – from sombre autobiographical explorations to delightfully over-the-top and schlocky animation, proudly showcasing the distinctive creative talents of each artist.
Overall, The Stimming Pool is a joyous feature, celebrating a collective of talented artists and providing an effective platform for self-expression, allowing the members of the Neurocultures Collective to take control of their own stories in a world that often denies people with autism any degree of agency. Visually dynamic and dripping with passion, this piece is a fascinating experiment that sheds an important light on an important, marginalised group – and will hopefully pave the way for more works like it.
Umar Ali
The Stimming Pool is released in select cinemas on 20th March 2025.
Watch the trailer for The Stimming Pool here:
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