Health problems and illnesses are part of life; hence they play an important role in the film industry. Through a story plot, cinema is capable of capturing the everyday life of patients trying to overcome a disease, which also helps us become aware of the difficulties these patients have to face. Today we are going to talk about 5 movies depicting neurodegenerative diseases.

5 movies depicting neurodegenerative diseases:

1. The Notebook

This is the first movie that comes to mind when talking about Alzheimer’s. The story takes place in a nursing home where a man reads a love story from a notebook to a woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s: this story is Noah’s.

A love story capable of overcoming any difficulty, even forgetfulness.

2. Still Alice

“Still Alice” is another movie depicting Alzheimer’s. Julianne Moore plays Dr. Alice Howland, a world-renowned linguistics expert diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

The film narrates Alice’s attempts to maintain independence, despite her suffering from this neurodegenerative disease. The film, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by writer Lisa Genova, brings us closer to the everyday life of patients with Alzheimer’s and also of their family members.

3. 100 meters

The Spanish movie 100 meters is based on the true story of Ramón Arroyo, a father who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. His doctor informs him that in less than a year he will barely be able to walk 100 meters. Arroyo decides to defy his disease and attempt the impossible: to complete an Ironman triathlon.

A piece of advice: don’t miss it!

4. You’re not you

Kate is a successful pianist whose life turns upside down when she is diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The story revolves around the relationship that Kate has with her caregiver, Bec, while her clear-headed brain attends to the progressive degeneration of her body.

There is no question this movie depicts without half-measures the symptoms of one of the main neurodegenerative diseases.

5. Love & Other Drug

It is not easy to find a proper movie about Parkinson’s disease. We have chosen “Love & other drugs” by Edward Zwick, the director of the films “Legends of the Fall” and “The Last Samurai”.

Although in the beginning “Love & other drugs” looks like a typical romantic movie with the same old story–a guy who is successful with women meets a free-spirited girl and both end up falling in love with each other–the truth is that it goes far beyond that. Love is just an excuse to openly address two not so simple issues: the relationship of physicians with the pharmaceutical industry and Parkinson’s disease, the neurological disorder addressed here.

Maggie, a free spirited young woman who suffers from early-onset Parkinson’s disease has a love affair with Jamie, a pharmaceutical sales representative. The movie depicts the personal drama that the main character suffers everyday due to her condition, and her partner’s determination to find a cure for this disease that medicine has not yet discovered how to defeat.

These five movies not only tell stories but also help raise awareness.