Movies On Disability: 6 Titles

Since its inception, this form of art that is cinema has wanted to give voice to various themes, situations and life experiences. Among these, we also find disability. In this article we present some films on disability to reflect on the possible impact of this condition on the life of the individual who suffers from it and those around him.

According to the most recent data (2020) published by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than one million people in the world with a form of disability. This figure corresponds to 15% of the population.

Disability can be of different types: sensory, mental, intellectual or physical and the severity varies greatly from case to case. We will discover some of these forms of disability (or forms of “diversability”) through the films we are about to present to you.

Thanks to the cinema, we can witness the projection of different stories, some true and others not (even if they could still be), which concern people who have had to face complicated life conditions or situations from an early age.

We therefore invite you to watch the films on disability that we present in the following lines, because each of them leaves us a precious message.

6 films about disability

Almost Friends (2011)

Almost Friends is already considered a classic among disability films. A French film that tells the story of a quadriplegic millionaire who decides to hire a personal assistant. Here she meets Driss, an immigrant from a suburb, just out of jail.

A witty, ironic film full of messages that make us reflect on life and the difficulties it places before us.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

The Theory of Everything is an English film that stages the life of the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. With this projection we embark on a journey to discover his childhood, adolescence and adulthood, until we discover the relationship with his first wife, Jane.

This film allows us to witness the struggle that the great scientist had to face all his life, his first steps in research, his discoveries and all the strength he brought out to face the obstacles of his disease, ALS (Sclerosis Lateral Amyotrophic).

We are also shown the less pleasant part: personal conflicts. Here we see the passionate scientist, but also the person suffering from the course of the disease.

We just have to win (2018)

If you need a rich dose of good humor and energy, then don’t miss out. We just have to win .

This film tells the story of Marco, a first division basketball coach, who loses his job and suddenly finds himself having to serve a sentence: he has to coach a team of boys and girls with mental disabilities.

What begins as a frustrating experience gradually becomes an unforgettable experience full of teachings for Marco.

A beautiful mind (2001)

Another of the most famous disability films is inspired by real facts and tells the life of John Forbes, a brilliant mathematician.

Forbes suffers from schizophrenia, with a very severe psychotic picture. Still, this doesn’t stop him from pursuing his career and receiving the Nobel Prize. A dramatic film, produced in the US, which leaves us a great lesson in life.

Disability film: 100 meters – The life of Ramón Arroyo (2016)

100 metros is a Spanish film starring Dani Rovira. It tells the story of Ramón, a thirty-year-old family man whose life takes a hard hit when he is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

After receiving the diagnosis, Ramón decides to face a new challenge: to participate in the toughest sports competition ever. With the help of his grumpy father-in-law, with whom he doesn’t get along, he embarks on a journey to overcome his own limits. 

100 metros is an exciting film and, above all, full of dark humor that will make you smile. That smile that is born even in the most difficult situations, because this is how we human beings are: magical and contradictory.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Another disability film that you can’t miss is this French film based on a novel, itself inspired by a true story. It tells the life of Jean Dominique, a man suffering from a rare form of cerebral ischemia that forced him to live in a wheelchair.

He is diagnosed with Latch Syndrome, a particular and very rare disorder that prevents him from moving any part of his body other than the eyelids (and sometimes not even those).

Here Jean Dominique finds himself able to move only his left eyelid, but it is thanks to this that he manages to write his novel.

Movies on disability and inclusion

Disability obliges us to live very special situations. If we want an ever more inclusive society, we must give greater visibility to all social groups, on the big screen but also outside.

In addition to this, we must become aware of the fact that all the realities that derive from it can enrich and also nourish the community. Diversity is a source of richness for a flexible and welcoming environment.

Cinema is a means to approach these realities and to connect to the stories of people who have had to face complex life situations which, in many cases, have allowed them to develop resilience.