# Any good movies about SAD/anxiety disorder/ OCD?



## Insanityonthego

I've heard of one or two, but I forgot their names.
Most are independent films, because social anxiety/anxiety disorders are not that much in the open. I've seen films about other mental disorders like schizophrenia, agoraphobia and ocd, but what about Anxiety disorder/sad? Anyone know of any good ones?


----------



## notyourstar

Well, I plan to write my thesis project (I'm a film student) about a girl with SAD. Very loosely based on my own experiences. So with any luck, there will be at least one more good movie about it a few years from now! But probably not.


----------



## catalinahx

I'm not 100% if this fits into what you're looking for, but the two movies that came to my head were "Girl Interrupted" and "Speak". I just watched "Speak" a few weeks ago, it has Kristen Stewart in it... from Twilight. She actually does a really good job at playing the role of a selective mute girl. It reminded me a lot of me in high school, though I don't think it revolves around SA in particular much.

Girl Interrupted is one of my all time favorite movies. It's sort of hard to explain what it is, but it does revolve around some disorders. Angelina Jolie is in it too. Check them out on IMBD;

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378793/ - Speak
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/ - Girl interrupted


----------



## danberado

It's arguable that Adam Sandler's character in Punch-Drunk Love suffers from social anxiety disorder, or something similar. Definitely nervous around people and easily flustered, sweaty. Rarely takes initiative (never dated). Goes to great lengths to avoid criticism, always wanting his conversations to be confidential etc. Pacing on the phone. 

But its eccentric romantic comedy, not a drama so don't expect a straight depiction.


----------



## Belshazzar

Mary and Max - About two penpals. Max is an overeating New Yorker with Asperger's while Mary is an Aussie girl who seems to have a problem with SA and an alcoholic mother. One of the funniest and saddest movies I can think of.

Most Woody Allen movies with Woody Allen in them -- Annie Hall, Love and Death, Manhattan, Play it Again Sam, Hannah and Her Sisters.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Jim Carrey's character exhibits very SA-like traits.

Harold and Maude - About a relationship between the anxious/depressive teen Harold and the free spirited octogenerian Maude.

Ghost World - The female lead Enid has trouble fitting in during post-high school life and Steve Buscemi's character is reclusive record collector.

A few horror movies actually center around characters who seem to have SA that causes them isolate themselves, which is the root of the horror elements.

Roman Polanski's first two films, Repulsion and The Tenant. The leads in both are driven insane by isolation.

Carnival of Souls. Hard to find B movie, but well made. The lead is a shrinking violet similar to the one in Repulsion.


----------



## Toad Licker

Amelie - The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won't, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who's mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all.

He Was a Quiet Man - Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) endures another eight hours in a dull grey cubicle. Ignored by his co-workers, Bob feels completely invisible and out of sync with the world. On one strange day he crosses the line from potential killer to inadvertent hero when he saves beautiful Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert).


----------



## fern

Dummy - It has Adrien Brody in it, his character has some social anxiety like qualities and its a cute/quirky indie movie.


----------



## Jillianne

Have you seen "Dirty Filthy Love"? its about a man (michael sheen) who has ocd and turrets, and shirley henderson is in it too.
Also "Pheobe in Wonderland" is about a little girl with ocd turrets. both really good movies


----------



## stranger25

as good as it gets with jack nicholson


----------



## apartment7

Jillianne said:


> "Dirty Filthy Love"


I saw that earlier this year. Brilliant film.

Anybody with a Love Film subscription can watch this film for free online - in the UK at least.

Another great film dealing with a character apparently suffering from various mental health issues, possibly schizophrenia or OCD is Keane starring Damian Lewis.


----------



## TheRob

Someone on this board recommended to me "Mozart and the Whale", which is an autism/asperger's love story.


----------



## rawrguy

TWILIGHT!! no, just kidding (watching this movie actually makes my SA worse)

Anyway, joking aside, Bubble Boy is the only one I can think of because the was raised all his life by his mom inside the bubble and has to overcome a lot of obstacles (some involving SA) to keep the girl he loves from getting married.

Also, practically any movie with Michael Cera.



Belshazzar said:


> Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Jim Carrey's character exhibits very SA-like traits.


yeah, this too.


----------



## Mister Mxyzptlk

The Quiet. Not really SA-related movie but the main character seems to have similar trait to SA people.


----------



## silentcliche

Lars and the Real Girl.


----------



## JayDontCareEh

Martin Scorsese's _The Aviator_ with Leo DiCaprio.

It'll make your OCD issues seem like small potatoes in comparison.


----------



## Wehttam

Last night I found a lovely little gem called "Phoebe in Wonderland", it's a great movie about a young girl (played by Dakota Fanning's younger sister) who suffers from a sort of tourette syndrome and also severe O.C.D. She joins a school play that leads to all sorts of small subplots.


----------



## Sous la Mer

TheRob said:


> Someone on this board recommended to me "Mozart and the Whale", which is an autism/asperger's love story.


I love this movie. I would also add Winter Passing to the list even though it's not really about someone with SA. I really liked it though because the main character(Zooey Deschanel) is kind of a loner in the movie. And its a bit of a depressing movie with some uplifting bits which always seems to distract me from my own thoughts.


----------



## MrWorry

Toad Licker said:


> Amelie - The title character (the bashful and impish Audrey Tautou) is a single waitress who decides to help other lonely people fix their lives. Her widowed father yearns to travel but won't, so to inspire the old man she sends his garden gnome on a tour of the world; with whispered gossip, she brings together two cranky regulars at her café; she reverses the doorknobs and reprograms the speed dial of a grocer who's mean to his assistant. Gradually she realizes her own life needs fixing, and a chance meeting leads to her most elaborate stratagem of all.
> 
> He Was a Quiet Man - Bob Maconel (Christian Slater) endures another eight hours in a dull grey cubicle. Ignored by his co-workers, Bob feels completely invisible and out of sync with the world. On one strange day he crosses the line from potential killer to inadvertent hero when he saves beautiful Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert).


I just saw he was a quiet man a few months ago. Interesting movie.


----------



## Recipe For Disaster

catalinahx said:


> I'm not 100% if this fits into what you're looking for, but the two movies that came to my head were "Girl Interrupted" and "Speak". I just watched "Speak" a few weeks ago, it has Kristen Stewart in it... from Twilight. She actually does a really good job at playing the role of a selective mute girl. It reminded me a lot of me in high school, though I don't think it revolves around SA in particular much.
> 
> Girl Interrupted is one of my all time favorite movies. It's sort of hard to explain what it is, but it does revolve around some disorders. Angelina Jolie is in it too. Check them out on IMBD;
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378793/ - Speak
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172493/ - Girl interrupted


 i just watched speak a few weeks ago too because it was on TV and kristien stewart's character is a popular, normal girl. she only stopped speaking because she got raped. girl interrupted isn't about SA either, but it's a lot more entertaining than speak.


----------



## theJdogg

The British comedy series, Spaced, isn't a movie, but one of the major characters, Brian, has social anxiety and depression. It's very funny and kinda sad at the same time. They all sold themselves short. A sanitized version was on hulu a while ago. I don't know if it still is or not. It's by the guys who did Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.


----------



## foe

Eternal Sunshine, Dummy, Ghost World and Lars are good suggestions.

If you don't mind reading Japanese and Thai subtitles then "Last Life in the Universe" is a good one. 



Similar theme in "Bright Future" also starring Tadanobu Asano. 




Not sure if both are SA related but some of the characters have social awkwardness traits.

Might want to check out other Asano films too, he plays a lot of reclusive and anti-social characters.


----------



## GuyMontag

Greenberg with Ben Stiller? His character seems to be anti-social. I thought it was a good movie. It's directed by Noah Baumbach.

I watched the trailers for Punch Drunk Love and Dummy. I want to check them out sometime.


----------



## theJdogg

I know this is an old thread, but I thought somebody might be interested in this one. I haven't finished this movie yet, but it seems like a Scifi Lars and the Real Girl. It's called Thomas in Love. It's a Luxemburg(I think) film about a guy with agoraphobia in the near future. He uses technology to do all his communicating because of crippling panic attacks. It's on the streaming netflicks. I must warn you that it has some sexual content and it's a little slow.


----------



## dontwaitupforme

Along came polly


----------



## Choci Loni

Napoleon Dynamite. 

Not Napoleon! He's just plain weird. 
Debbie. I liked her.


----------



## timbar

I started a column on my blog where I review social anxiety related movies. So far I've done two:
Choking Man
The 40 Year Old Virgin


----------



## fonz

Here's a great one I watched a few days back: 



. The central character never talks,never interacts with anyone. He just 'exists'. A female voice over reads his thoughts from his journal as he walks the city streets alone and other antisocial activities...

Another one I may have mentioned on here before is _Safe (1995)._ I think the central character has social anxiety,but that is not her primary mental illness I don't believe. It's a film that a lot of SA people could relate to I think,because of the main character's lack of passion,zest for life and connection with others...


----------



## Brawk Shady

The TV series "Monk" is a show about a detective with OCD. He doesn't have SA, but has difficulties with relationships because of his OCD.


----------



## Overdrive

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/15-great-movies-that-realistically-portray-mental-illness/


----------

