Movies Depicting Mental Disorders
A list of movies that I may use for a project in my abnormal psychology class. All will contain some sort of mental or neurological disorder that should be one of the main themes of the film. My descriptions will indicate which mental illness or neurological condition is exhibited by which character (if known). Do not read if you want to avoid spoilers.
A work in progress. Also, note that this is by no means a comprehensive list, and merely contains movies that I have seen or may want to see. However, feel free to make suggestions.
My hypothetical 'diagnoses' may also not be correct or appropriate; keep in mind that these are only my speculations.
If I don't think the movie depicts the mental illness accurately or stigmatizes it, it will be indicated as such or not included in this list.
A work in progress. Also, note that this is by no means a comprehensive list, and merely contains movies that I have seen or may want to see. However, feel free to make suggestions.
My hypothetical 'diagnoses' may also not be correct or appropriate; keep in mind that these are only my speculations.
If I don't think the movie depicts the mental illness accurately or stigmatizes it, it will be indicated as such or not included in this list.
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- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioCate BlanchettKate BeckinsaleA biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.Howard Hughes has obsessive compulsive disorder. A great portrayal of how pervasive this anxiety disorder can become.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87% - DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.Amy Winehouse suffered from bulimia, depression and substance abuse (alcohol, cocaine and heroin).
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97% - DirectorJean-Marc ValléeStarsReese WitherspoonLaura DernGaby HoffmannA chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent personal tragedy.Cheryl exhibits symptoms of depression, sex addiction and heroin addiction.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90% - DirectorMaya ForbesStarsMark RuffaloZoe SaldañaImogene WolodarskyA father struggling with bipolar disorder tries to win back his wife by attempting to take full responsibility of their two young, spirited daughters, who don't make the overwhelming task any easier.Cameron is a father with bipolar disorder, most likely bipolar I. He is referred to as being manic depressive in the film, which is what it was called during that era.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81% - DirectorsRichard GlatzerWash WestmorelandStarsJulianne MooreAlec BaldwinKristen StewartA linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.Alice has early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90% - DirectorSanna LenkenStarsRebecka JosephsonAmy DeasismontAnnika HallinJust as Stella enters the exciting world of adolescence she discovers that her big sister and role model Katja is hiding an eating disorder. A story about jealousy, love and betrayal.Katja has symptoms of fasting and occasional binging/purging associated with the eating disorder, anorexia.
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsWinona RyderAngelina JolieClea DuVallDirectionless teenager Susanna is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.Susanna is institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital, where she is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Lisa, another patient, is diagnosed as a sociopath, which is an outdated term that is now referred to as antisocial personality disorder. Daisy has bulimia. Georgina is a pathological liar. Janette has anorexia. There are other characters in the hospital that also suffer from various mental illnesses.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 54% - DirectorDean IsraeliteStarsDacre MontgomeryNaomi ScottRJ CylerWhen Earth is on the verge of an alien invasion, five teenagers, who are infused with superhuman abilities, must harness their newfound powers to battle this threat - as the Power Rangers.Billy is autistic and describes himself as being "on the spectrum" (as in diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD).
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 46% - DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.Aileen most likely has borderline personality disorder and a comorbid antisocial personality disorder.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82% - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.All characters have some form of addiction and engage in frequent substance abuse (heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, barbiturates, alcohol, benzodiazepines, MDMA, LSD, and cannabis).
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 78% - DirectorCraig JohnsonStarsKristen WiigBill HaderLuke WilsonHaving both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.Both Maggie and Milo most likely have depression that contributed to their suicide attempts.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87% - DirectorSteve McQueenStarsMichael FassbenderCarey MulliganJames Badge DaleA nymphomaniac's carefully cultivated private life falls apart after his sister arrives for an indefinite stay.Brandon is afflicted with a pervasive sex addiction.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79% - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA former insurance investigator who now suffers from anterograde amnesia uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife's murderer.Leonard has anterograde amnesia (the inability to form new memories).
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92% - DirectorJulian SchnabelStarsMathieu AmalricEmmanuelle SeignerMarie-Josée CrozeThe true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.Jean has locked-in syndrome resulting from a stroke. The film is based on a memoir he wrote himself by moving the only part of his body he could still control: a single eyelid.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93% - DirectorWes AndersonStarsGene HackmanGwyneth PaltrowAnjelica HustonThe eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.Richie experiences symptoms of depression and attempts suicide.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80% - DirectorJennifer KentStarsEssie DavisNoah WisemanDaniel HenshallA single mother and her child fall into a deep well of paranoia when an eerie children's book titled "Mister Babadook" manifests in their home.The Babadook is most likely a metaphor for the depression Amelia suffers from.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98% - DirectorDan GilroyStarsJake GyllenhaalRene RussoBill PaxtonA petty thief desperate for work muscles into the world of crime journalism and becomes the star of his own story as he blurs the line between observer and participant.Lou has psychopathic traits and would most likely be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and narcisstic personality disorder.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95% - DirectorDanny BoyleStarsEwan McGregorEwen BremnerJonny Lee MillerRenton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.Multiple characters (Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Tommy) struggle with substance abuse and addiction to heroin.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89% - DirectorDanny BoyleStarsEwan McGregorEwen BremnerJonny Lee MillerAfter 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie.Spud still struggles with heroin addiction and Simon (Sick Boy) abuses cocaine.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77% - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsSean PennTim RobbinsKevin BaconThe tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.Dave is subjected to a child predator with pedophilia, and later experiences the symptoms of it himself.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87% - DirectorNacho VigalondoStarsAnne HathawayJason SudeikisAustin StowellGloria is an out-of-work party girl forced to leave her life in New York City and move back home. When reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, she gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this phenomenon.Gloria struggles with alcoholism.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79% - DirectorsBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsAdam SandlerJulia FoxIdina MenzelWith his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in hope of staying afloat and alive.Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Howard exhibits symptoms of gambling addiction. - DirectorLynne RamsayStarsTilda SwintonJohn C. ReillyEzra MillerKevin's mother struggles to love her strange child despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.Kevin most likely has conduct disorder, which could later develop into antisocial personality disorder once he is an adult.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 76% - DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent CasselNina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.Nina experiences depersonalization, dissociation, hallucinations, and may also have obsessive compulsive disorder.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87% - DirectorMacon BlairStarsMelanie LynskeyChris DoubekMarilyn Faith HickeyWhen a depressed woman is burgled, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves along with her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals.Ruth has depression and takes antidepressants to treat it. One of them is Lexapro, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%
