How many times did a blockbuster movie speak to you?
There are profoundly important relationships forged between motion pictures and human behavior.
Motion pictures do not have a fixed pattern of meanings or ideas.
It’s more of an open interactive experience where a person takes what is usable or what will function in their life.
The influence of movies, along with other factors, may be quite substantial.
And while movies can influence our views, they may be influenced by us as well.
With the endless possibilities of characters to portray, it is the depiction of individuals living with a disability or disease that can make us stop and think that there’s more to it than just entertainment; there are some sound messages to convey.
For anyone living with dystonia, Colombian Manolo Cruz debuted his first feature, The Swamp, Between Sea and Land, where the main character has dystonia. The movie focuses on a mother-son relationship, following them from when the son is three years old to when he’s 28.
To Name A Few
There’s actually quite a list of movies that highlight a disability or disease. Click here for a more comprehensive look. But, to name a few:
- I Am Sam (2001), developmental
- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), autism
- Radio (2003), mental disabilities
- As Good As It Gets (1997), obsessive compulsive disorder
- A Beautiful Mind (2001), schizophrenia
- Benny & Joon (1993), mental illness
- The Bone Collector (1999), quadriplegia
- Bubble Boy (2001), immune deficiency
- Forrest Gump (1994), developmental disability
- Philadelphia (1993), AIDS
As a whole, more individuals have become desensitized to sympathetic feelings; our world may seem cold, detached, and isolated. And then movies such as these serve as a reminder to our humanity.
