Home Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer’s Disease Movies – A Complete List

Alzheimer’s Disease Movies – A Complete List

by Derrick
Alzheimer's Disease Movies feature

People look to movies for characters to relate to, shared experiences, etc. Looking for Alzheimer’s Disease movies to understand the experience is also common.

While the following movies may describe some aspects of Alzheimer’s and the physical and emotional experiences that accompany it, it’s important to remember that many of these are designed for entertainment purposes. Your personal experience with Alzheimer’s may not be similar at all. However, you may also find very similar themes to what you experience as a caregiver, volunteer in a nursing home, or as someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease.

This list is intended to be a complete list. I may not have found them all, and new movies come out every year. Please, if you know of any other Alzheimer’s Disease movies that are not listed here, leave a comment at the end of the article so I can include it. Many thanks.

A

Age Old Friends (1989)

Age Old Friends (1989) 1hr 30min – John Cooper and his best friend Michael Aylott are residents in a nursing home. John is failing physically while Michael is deteriorating mentally. They do their best to help each other cope.

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (2014)

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (2014) 1hr 17min – Dan Cohen, social worker and founder of Music & Memory, stars in this documentary about how music can be used to combat memory loss. 

The Alzheimer Affair (2003)

The Alzheimer Affair (2003) 2hr 3min – Angelo Ledda was a former hitman and agreed to his last contract, despite developing Alzheimer’s disease. After discovering that his target is a twelve-year-old girl, he refuses to kill a child. His employer sends another hitman to get the job done and dispatch Angelo in the process. 

Alzheimer's: Every Minute Counts (2017)

Alzheimer’s: Every Minute Counts (2017) 55min – This documentary chronicles the economic and personal devastation in the United States as Baby Boomers age because of the disease. 

The Alzheimer's Project (2009)

The Alzheimer’s Project (2009) – This is a four-part documentary that focuses on possible causes, symptoms, and treatments for Alzheimer’s. 

Another House (L'autre Maison ) (2013)

Another House (L’autre Maison ) (2013) 1hr 40min – This film is about the story of two brothers, Gabriel and Éric Bernard, and their struggle to cope with their father’s ever-worsening Alzheimer’s disease.

The Artist's Wife (2019)

The Artist’s Wife (2019) 1hr 36min – The film centers around Claire, the wife of famed artist Richard Smythson. Richard is diagnosed. Claire tries to shield his illness from the artistic community to reconnect him with some of his family.

Ashes (2012)

Ashes (2012) 1hr 40min – Frank is living with his illness in a residential home. A stranger wishes to help him be reunited with his now forgotten father. However, after he breaks out of the residential home and goes on the run, Frank realizes that not everything is as it seems.

Aurora Borealis (2005)

Aurora Borealis (2005) 1hr 50min – Duncan is an unemployed youth trying to cope with his fathers’ death. He moves in with his grandparents. Ron, his grandfather, has Alzheimer’s. 

Away from Her (2006)

Away from Her (2006) 1hr 49min – Fiona and Grant are a retired married couple. Fiona begins to lose her memory to Alzheimer’s disease. Grant reflects on his past life and tries to keep Fiona as happy as possible.

Angel's Perch (2019)

Angel’s Perch (2019) 1hr 35min – Jack is an architect who returns to his Appalachian hometown when his grandmother, Polly, shows worsening signs of Alzheimer’s disease. He is eager to return to Pittsburgh and his successful job. When Jack cannot find a suitable facility for his grandmother, he is forced to confront painful memories of growing up, memories he has kept locked inside. To face his future, he must now face his past.

B

Beautiful Memories (2001)

Beautiful Memories (2001) 1hr 50min – Claire Poussin recently lost her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, and is in the process of losing her memory. She then consults a clinic about this problem and falls in love with someone she meets there.

Before We Forget (2011)

Before We Forget (2011) 54min – The film focuses on Joyce Fernandez, a middle-aged woman caring for her mother, Celine Fernandez, who has had Alzheimer’s. The story takes a tragic turn after Celine suffers a mild stroke and loses her ability to speak. The duo, staunch Catholics, keep their heads above the emotional turmoil through daily prayer.

Black (2005)

Black (2005) 2hr 2min – Shot in India, this movie is about Michelle, a child who grows up deaf and blind. It is a miserable life until Debraj Sahai enters her life as her teacher. Michelle blossoms and creates a life for herself with Sahai’s guidance. Until years later, when she must confront her beloved Sahai, who is slowly losing his memory, including his memories of her.

C

Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped? (2016)

Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped? (2016) 53min – A PBS Nova documentary follows clinical trial participants as they search for a cure.

Carpe Kilimanjaro: An Alzheimer's Project (2016)

Carpe Kilimanjaro: An Alzheimer’s Project (2016) 1hr 14min – In this documentary, Zach Jordan climbs Mount Kilimanjaro as a physical representation of his challenges of fatherhood and Alzheimer’s. 

Capone (2020)

Capone (2020) 1hr 43min – After spending a decade in prison, Al Capone is old and suffering from dementia as he tries to come to terms with his criminal past.

Choke (2008)

Choke (2008) 1hr 32min – Victor Mancini is a sex addict leading a haphazard existence. After a day at his day job, Vitor works his con game nightly in expensive restaurants by pretending to choke on his food. He proceeds to make whoever saves him feel sorry for him with a sob story. This gets him enough money to keep his mother in an exclusive sanitarium for Alzheimer’s patients. Until his past catches up with him.

D

Diminished Capacity (2008)

Diminished Capacity (2008) 1hr 29min – Newspaper man Cooper, suffering from a concussion, visits his old home and his Uncle Rollie, who is suffering from dementia and is about to lose his home. When a valuable baseball card is found that may save Uncle Rollie, everyone, from fan to conmen, wants the card, leaving Cooper to wonder at the value of memory. It turns out, the value is priceless.

E

Elizabeth Is Missing (2019)

Elizabeth Is Missing (2019) 1hr 27min – Maud is an 80-year-old woman dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, uses sticky notes throughout her daily life to keep track of things that happen around her. One day, her friend, Elizabeth, fails to show up and meet up with her. Maud tries to tell those around her that something sinister may have happened to her, but this is dismissed. She then has to investigate further.

F

The Father (2020)

The Father (2020) 1hr 36min – A man struggles with aging as his daughter moves with him.

Firefly Dreams (Ichiban utsukushî Natsu) (2001)

Firefly Dreams (Ichiban utsukushî Natsu) (2001) 1hr 45min – Naomi is sent to live with her aunt for the summer. She takes on the caretaker position for an aging relative with Alzheimer’s disease and develops an unlikely friendship.

Floride (Florida) (2015)

Floride (Florida) (2015) 1hr 50min – Claude’s daughter Carole has had a hard time dealing with him and his memory issues. A sudden trip to Florida from France causes all sorts of mayhem. 

Forget Me Not (2010)

Forget Me Not (2010) 1hr 35min – Will Fletcher, a musician, and Eve Fisher work in a pub. They stay up all night together, and then the next morning, Eve takes Will to see her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s.

Falling (2020)

Falling (2020) 1hr 52min – John lives with his husband and adopted daughter. He tries to cope with his father, the emotional and violent, Willis, who suffers from dementia. John feels responsible for his father, but how much can he take from the man who never accepted that his son is gay?

First Cousins Once Removed (2013)

First Cousins Once Removed (2013) – This is the story of poet Edwin Honig’s descent into Alzheimer’s recorded by a family member. It depicts the slow but steady memory loss through interviews with Honig and those who knew him.

Friends With Benefits (2011)

Friends With Benefits (2011) 1hr 49min – Jamie Reillis and Dylan Harper have a complicated relationship involving sex without emotional commitment. Both believe that committing emotionally will ruin their friendship. Dylan meets with his father, who is developing symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The father thinks he sees a woman he used to love and says not keeping her is his biggest regret. This leaves Dylan pondering his own relationship with Jamie.

G

The Genius of Marian (2013)

The Genius of Marian (2013) 1hr 26min – Pam White, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and her filmmaker son work together to create a tribute to Pam’s mother, Marian Steele. 

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me (2014)

Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me (2014) 1hr 44min – This documentary covers Glen Campbell’s final tour after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Gray Sunset (Hana ichimonme) (1985)

Gray Sunset (Hana ichimonme) (1985) 2hr 2min – A university professor loses his job as a result of advancing Alzheimer’s. 

H

Happiness (Hang wan si ngo) (2016)

Happiness (Hang wan si ngo) (2016) 1hr 51min – The story follows Chan Kai-yuk’s life, who tragically lost his mother and attempted to reunite with his long-lost father. Chan Kai-yuk then meets a woman in Hong Kong named Tse, and they become friends. Later on, Chan Kai-Yuk realizes that Tsu may have Alzheimer’s.

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

Harvie Krumpet (2003) 22min – A clay comedic animated story, Harvek Milos Krumpetzki is born “upside down and back to front.” As his life goes on, Harvek develops many different illnesses and diseases but remains optimistic for as long as possible. 

Head Full of Honey (2014)

Head Full of Honey (2014) 2hr 8min – Amandus is a retired vet who has Alzheimer’s disease. He is visited by his son and granddaughter, who decide that Amandus can no longer live independently. They make room in their household to accommodate him. The new living arrangement causes problems between Niko and his wife when Amandus causes a few near-disaster situations.

The Head Vanishes (2016)

The Head Vanishes (2016) 10min – This is an animated short where the film’s central character is literally losing their head while on a train trip. The film is inspired by Franck Dion’s grandmother, who at one point had asked his mother to look for her head under the sink, believing it had fallen underneath it.

I

I Remember Better When I Paint (2009)

I Remember Better When I Paint (2009) 54min – This documentary highlights creative therapies those with Alzheimer’s may benefit from. 

Iris (2001)

Iris (2001) 1hr 30min – Iris Murdoch meets fellow student John Bayley at Somerville College, Oxford, and they fall in love. Iris begins experiencing forgetfulness a few decades later, and John becomes her caretaker.

The Iron Lady (2011)

The Iron Lady (2011) 1hr 44min – Margaret Thatcher struggles with clearing out her husband’s things after his death and her increasing memory loss. 

L

The Leisure Seeker (2017)

The Leisure Seeker (2017) 1hr 52min – John and Ella Spencer take one last road trip to the Ernest Hemingway House in the Florida Keys before his dementia and her cancer can catch up with them.

Lovely, Still (2008)

Lovely, Still (2008) 1hr 32min – Robert Malone falls in love with Mary, the mother of his neighbor Alex. The couple spends some quality time together. The film closes off with Robert experiencing the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

M

Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no kioku) (2006)

Memories of Tomorrow (Ashita no kioku) (2006) – The film starts by showing the final stages of Masayuki Saeki, who has Alzheimer’s disease. The story then flashes to the man’s earlier life, when a brilliant and successful advertising company executive. 

A Moment to Remember (Nae meorisokui jiwoogae) (2004)

A Moment to Remember (Nae meorisokui jiwoogae) (2004) 2hr 24min – Su-jin and Chul-soo fall in love. The film tells how they got married and eventually to Su-jin developing Alzheimer’s disease.

N

Noël Blank (2003)

Noël Blank (2003) 24min – A short movie about a man with Alzheimer’s who visits his son over Christmas.

The Notebook (2004)

The Notebook (2004) 2hr 3min – Duke is an elder who lives in a nursing home. Every day he reads a romantic story from a notebook to a fellow patient about a young couple forbidden to see each other by their parents.

O

On Golden Pond (1981)

On Golden Pond (1981) 1hr 49min – Ethel and Norman Thayer, an elderly couple, continue the long tradition of spending each summer at their cottage on a Golden Pond lake. As they settle in, Norman begins having trouble remembering his family members’ names and faces.

P

Poetry (Shi) (2010)

Poetry (Shi) (2010) 2hr 19min – Yang Mi-Ja is a 66-year-old grandmother who consults a doctor about her forgetfulness and decides to enroll in a poetry class.

Princess Margaret Blvd. (2008)

Princess Margaret Blvd. (2008) 14min – Isabelle is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has to learn to live with the frustration and confusion she is experiencing. 

R

Relic (2020)

Relic (2020) 1hr 29min – Kay’s mother and Sam’s grandmother is showing serious signs of dementia. But is grandma’s mind going, or is her house holding it captive?

Remember (2015)

Remember (2015) 1hr 34min – A survivor of Auschwitz, an old man suffering from dementia, hunts down the person he believes is responsible for killing his family at the death camp.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) 1hr 44min – Will Rodman is working on developing a drug for Alzheimer’s. He tests the drug on a pregnant chimp, who gives birth to a baby chimp with human intelligence. The baby, named Caesar, grows up to develop a plot against the humans who have captured him.

Robot and Frank (2012)

Robot and Frank (2012) 1hr 28min – Frank is a former burglar suffering from dementia. Initially, he resists his new caregiver, a robot helper. Until Frank learns he can train the robot to commit new and challenging jewel heists.

S

Safe House (1998)

Safe House (1998) 1hr 52min – Mace Sowell, an ex-DIA agent who believes his life is in danger from his former employer. Unfortunately, Sowell is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has trouble convincing those around him about the threat.

The Savages (2007)

The Savages (2007) 1hr 54min – Wendy and John must assume caretaking responsibility for their abusive father as his dementia worsens. 

A Second Childhood (Una sconfinata giovinezza) (2010)

A Second Childhood (Una sconfinata giovinezza) (2010) 1hr 38min – Lino and his wife of 25 years have to come to terms with Lino’s failing health. 

A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) (2011)

A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) (2011) 2hr 3min – Simin has plans to move to Iran with her husband Nader and daughter. Nader has deep concerns about her grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s disease and refuses to leave.

A Short History of Decay (2013)

A Short History of Decay (2013) 1hr 33min – Nathan Fisher, a failed writer, visits his ailing parents in Florida. His mother has Alzheimer’s, and his father had a stroke.

Son of the Bride (El hijo de la novia) (2001)

Son of the Bride (El hijo de la novia) (2001) 2hr 5min – Rafael Belvedere’s mother has Alzheimer’s disease. After suffering a stroke, Rafael is forced to reconsider his life choices and changes lifestyles dramatically. His father tries to remarry his mother because they were never married in a church. Rafael is unsure what to do about it, as his mother wouldn’t be much of a participant because of her illness.

A Song For Martin (En sång för Martin) (2001)

A Song For Martin (En sång för Martin) (2001) 1hr 53min – Martin, a Swedish composer, falls in love with Barbara, the concertmaster. Martin is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after their marriage. 

Still Alice (2014)

Still Alice (2014) 1hr 41min – Alice Howland celebrates her 50th birthday and is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The rest of her family take a genetic test and conclude that two of the three children will develop the disease. The story continues to show how Alice tries to cope with the disease.

Still Mine (2012)

Still Mine (2012) – Craig and Irene are in their 80s and can no longer manage their farm in New Brunswick. Craig decides to build a one-floor residence on their property but has difficulty getting the permits required. 

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Sunset Boulevard (1950) 1hr 50min – Aging former silent screen star Norman Desmond lives isolated and forgotten in her mansion, protected against reality by her butler. Struggling writer Joe Gillis sees a profit in encouraging her delusions of a comeback, until Norma falls for him and descends into madness.

Supernova (2020)

Supernova (2020) 1hr 34min – Partners Sam and Tusker has been together a long time. After Tusker is diagnosed with dementia, they travel across England to recapture places and people from their past.

T

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) 1hr 30min – Mia, Gavin, and Luis are film students who want to make a documentary about Deborah, an older woman who has Alzheimer’s disease. While Deborah is initially not convinced she will want to do it, her daughter reminds her that they need the money.

Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer's (2009)

Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer’s (2009) ‎ 2hr – Author Terry Pratchett documents his diagnosis, his daily struggles, and his mission to find a cure. 

A Timeless Love (2016)

A Timeless Love (2016) 1hr 29min – This film tells the love story between Harvey and Mary, who develops early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Traveling Companion (1996)

Traveling Companion (1996) 1hr 44min – Cora is hired to take care of an aged man who hops a train out of Rome. 

The Memory of a Killer (2006)

The Memory of a Killer (2006)2hr 3min – Angelo Ledda is a retired hitman with Alzheimer’s who has one final assignment – to kill a 12-year-old girl. Confused, he refuses, going after those who abused the girl, instead. With the cops on his trail, and his memory fading, he must act quickly.

The Father (2021)

The Father (2021) – Anthony, who is aging and ill, also suffers from dementia. When his beloved daughter leaves London for Paris, he slowly descends into a distorted reality while trying to make sense of his life.

U

U Me Aur Hum (2008)

U Me Aur Hum (2011) – Ajay Mehra and Piya couldn’t be more wrong for each other. Still, they marry and develop a good relationship. Until Piya develops Alzheimer’s just as she finds out she is pregnant.

V

Vater Morgana (2010)

Vater Morgana (2010) 1hr 30min – This is a story about how Lutz has had a happy life. He reunites with his father as an adult who now has Alzheimer’s. 

W

What They Had (2018)

What They Had (2018) 1hr 41min – Bridget Ertz struggles to convince her father to put her sister in a memory assisted care facility after she wandered into a blizzard. Her father is convinced that he alone can provide her sister with sufficient care and protection.

Wrinkles (Arrugas) (2011)

Wrinkles (Arrugas) (2011) 1hr 29min – An animated story starts with Emilio being dropped off at a nursing home by his son, who says he will be happier there. Emilio is introduced to other people in the nursing home, who tell him how things work there.

Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Movies?

Again, anything we missed? Drop a note in the comments section so I can add it.

5 comments

Annette October 18, 2023 - 9:44 pm

Theres an old film i dont remember the name though its about a government experiment with a pill to cure dementia the government pulled the plug after seeing everyone being cured and everyone went back to where they were before the pills were given to them
I thought robin williams played one of the docs i dont remember though and ive been trying to find it i dont know if mayhaps you had an idea

Reply
Jon October 19, 2023 - 10:51 am

I tried to find it, but all I could find was Robin Williams in Patch Adams and then Awakenings. What you describe is similar to the plot in awakenings, but that was about catatonic patients that suddenly wake up after being given a new drug.

Reply
Edro January 14, 2023 - 6:12 pm

Found the movie. It’s called:
Moments in Spacetime

Reply
Derrick January 15, 2023 - 5:01 am

Glad you found it, because I couldn’t have helped you with that one.

Reply
Edro January 14, 2023 - 6:09 pm

There’s a great movie about an adopted Thai daughter Macey who feels she doesn’t fit in U.S. society because she is constantly misjudged and treated with racism. Her parents leave on vacation to get away leaving her now adult daughter to care for her American grandfather who has Alzheimer’s. It’s a complicated but well-done and interesting movie (except for the ending which left me confused). Plus, it seems to be narrated from a future historian point of view.

PLEASE tell me the name of this movie! I watched it but now can’t remember the title!

Reply

Leave a Comment

 

As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This site also participates in various other affiliate programs, and we may get a commission through purchases made through our links. Please read our complete Disclosures and Privacy Policy for more information.