NORMAL - Adults with autism have been portrayed on film as serial killers and as autistic savants, as in "Rain Man." A feature film director hopes to diversify those portrayals, with help from folks in Normal.

Graham Streeter of Hollywood, Calif., made his second visit to Normal earlier this week as pre-production and casting continues for "Normal Folk," a movie that he hopes to film here from October to March 2009. Streeter hopes to cast Marty Murphy, a 45-year-old Normal woman who has high-functioning autism, in the role of Dora, a woman with severe autism who has been institutionalized her entire life.

"My first reaction was 'No,'" Murphy said when Streeter offered her the part. "But I decided that it would be a growing experience for me to understand people with autism who are elsewhere on the spectrum. I decided this is important and I'd be a part of it."

"We are out there in the community," Murphy, who works in the recovery support department at Afni in Bloomington, said of many adults with autism.

Mayor Chris Koos met with Streeter during his first visit to Normal in December 2006 and is glad the project - which was delayed, in part, by a writers' strike - is moving forward.

"We welcome his production to Normal and will assist him as we can," Koos said.

Streeter's previous film, "Cages," was about a visually impaired boy from Singapore. Streeter cast a blind, first-time child actor in the lead, which he said made the film convincing and the project rewarding.

Streeter wanted his next film to deal with a character with autism because autism is growing in prevalence and getting attention. He decided the film should focus on adults with autism, who "sometimes slip in the cracks." He wanted to cast someone with autism who could empathize with the character.

Because his script was exploring the question of what is normal, he chose Normal for the location. When he first visited, he found what he was looking for: Support for people with autism, a cold winter setting, a small uptown that looks like classic Americana and a mobile home park where much of the story will take place.

Jacquie Mace of the Autism Society of McLean County introduced him to Murphy. While Murphy is functioning well now, that is possible after several jobs, counseling, and the support of family and friends.

Murphy still struggles with some social interaction, dislikes light touch, and has trouble with high-pitched noises and keeping emotions in control. But that's a far cry from the woman several years ago who didn't speak at work.

The story is about Eddie, a 70-year-old woman who is about to marry for the first time, when Dora, an estranged relative, is dropped off at her home. Through their interactions, Eddie discovers that her own obsessive personality is a symptom of autism and the story unfolds, Streeter said.

Dora is a fictional character based on a variety of people, but Streeter included aspects of Marty's experiences of several years ago in creating Dora.

Murphy said her autism has caused her to have obsessions but she has that under control.

"Personally, I don't see the difference between a person with autism who is obsessed with the phone book and a 45-year-old man who is obsessed with the Green Bay Packers," Murphy said with a laugh.

But Murphy admits that portraying someone with severe autism will be emotional.

"There'll be people on the set to provide me with support. I'm not a trained actor."

Will Murphy be able to turn off autism traits, such as finger flipping and rocking, when the cameras are turned off?

"I'm hopeful," she said.

FYI

In addition to pre-production and casting for his upcoming film, "Normal Folk," director Graham Streeter is shooting a series of documentary-style interviews with Marty Murphy, a Normal woman with autism whom he hopes to cast in the movie, and some of her friends and family, to document her journey in portraying a character with severe autism. Streeter said clips - as well as blogs from him and Murphy - will be posted on www.normalfolk.com.

SOURCES: Graham Streeter, Marty Murphy