Which films depict Alzheimer's disease?

The Notebook and Still Alice prominently portray Alzheimer's; The Notebook follows an elderly woman's memory loss in a nursing home, while Still Alice focuses on early-onset Alzheimer's and family impact.

What film portrays multiple sclerosis?

100 Meters dramatizes Ramón Arroyo's true story of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis and his decision to train for and complete an Ironman despite a grim prognosis.

Which film depicts amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?

Never Leave Me Alone follows a pianist diagnosed with ALS, showing a fully lucid mind amid progressive physical deterioration and caregiver dynamics.

Which film addresses Parkinson's disease?

Love & Other Drugs includes a storyline about early-onset Parkinson's, exploring the patient's personal challenges and the partner's involvement with the pharmaceutical industry.

How do films raise awareness of neurodegenerative diseases?

By portraying daily struggles, caregiver relationships, and social consequences, films humanize neurodegenerative diseases, promote empathy, and encourage public conversation and education.

Are these films based on novels or real events?

Still Alice is adapted from Lisa Genova's novel; 100 Meters is based on Ramón Arroyo's real story; The Notebook is a novel adaptation; other titles blend fiction with real-life issues.

Five films about neurodegenerative diseases

Today we bring you five films that delve into different neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Introduction

Cinema offers us stories of fantasy, humor, adventure, or sadness, but film is much more than entertainment. The seventh art is a fundamental tool to raise awareness of adverse real-life situations. The health problems and neurodegenerative diseases are no exception and occupy a prominent place in the film industry. Through movies, cinema is able to portray the day-to-day life of people trying to overcome a disease, which also helps us become aware of the adversities they must face.

Neurodegenerative diseases in five films

1. The Notebook

The Notebook: Film about neurodegenerative diseases

It is the first film that comes to mind when we talk about Alzheimer’s disease. A story set in a nursing home where a man reads to a woman with Alzheimer’s a love story written in a diary, the story of Noah.

A love story capable of overcoming any obstacle, even that of forgetting.

2. Still Alice

neurodegenerative diseases in the film "Still Alice"

Another film about Alzheimer’s. Julianne Moore stars as Dr. Alice Howland, a world-renowned linguistics expert who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

The film tells Alice’s struggle to maintain her own life despite the neurodegenerative disease she suffers from. The film, based on the novel of the same title by author Lisa Genova, brings us closer to the day-to-day life of Alzheimer’s patients and also of their family members.

3. 100 Meters

100 Meters: Film about multiple sclerosis

The film 100 Meters tells the true story of Ramón Arroyo, a family man who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Prognoses say that in less than a year he will not be able to walk even 100 meters. Arroyo decides to challenge the disease and do the impossible: complete an Ironman.

One tip: don’t miss it.

4. Never Leave Me Alone

neurodegenerative diseases in the film "Never Leave Me Alone"

Kate is a successful pianist whose life is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The story focuses on the relationship that Katie maintains with her caregiver, Bec, while her fully lucid brain witnesses the continuous deterioration of her body.

Without a doubt it is a film that unflinchingly shows the symptoms of one of the main neurodegenerative diseases.

5. Love & Other Drugs

Love & Other Drugs: Film about Parkinson's disease

It’s not easy to find a suitable film that talks about Parkinson’s disease. We chose ‘Love & Other Drugs’ by Edward Zwick, director of Legends of the Fall and The Last Samurai.

At first ‘Love & Other Drugs’ may seem like the typical romantic movie with the same old story: a guy who is very successful with women meets a fairly independent woman and in the end they both fall in love. But the truth is that the film offers much more. Love is nothing more than the perfect excuse to candidly address two not-easy topics: the relationship between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry and Parkinson’s, the neurological disease that concerns us here.

Maggie, an independent young woman who suffers from early-onset Parkinson’s, lives a romance with Jamie, a pharmaceutical sales representative. The film shows the personal drama endured by the protagonist as she lives with the daily reality of Parkinson’s and her partner’s obsession with finding a cure for a disease that medicine still does not know how to defeat.