Rain Man storyboards and the first image of autism

A car skids across a desert highway. In the front seats, two brothers, one agitated, the other seemingly detached. This dramatic moment, captured in a sequence of nine storyboard pages drawn in black pen, represents the "accident scene" from Rain Man. Created in 1987 by production illustrator James Hegedus, these original sketches helped shape the visual and emotional pacing of a film that would win four Academy Awards the following year.

The storyboards belong to the pre-production phase of Rain Man, directed by Barry Levinson. They map out not just movement and camera angles, but also emotional beats. At this point in the story, Charlie Babbitt — played by Tom Cruise — begins to grasp the vulnerability and humanity of his brother Raymond, an autistic savant played by Dustin Hoffman. In the margins, Hegedus notes staging, facial expressions, and timing, offering a glimpse into the precise planning behind each frame.

Storyboards are rarely preserved, especially complete, signed examples like this. Most remain internal studio tools, either discarded or retained privately. This document, signed by Hegedus and in excellent condition, is therefore more than a film artifact — it marks a key moment in cinematic history, when autism entered public discourse through mainstream storytelling. As one critic noted at the time,
"Rain Man didn’t explain autism, but it made millions want to understand it."