| | Tuesday, January 08, 2008 |
| Movie List - Neuropsychological and Medical Disorders |
| Awakenings | Favorite |
| Genre: | Drama | Year: | 1990 | Rating: | PG-13 |
| Actors: | Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro, Julie Kavner |
| Topics: | Neuropsychology, Treatment |
| Wonderful movie. Based on Oliver Sacks' clinical cases. L-dopa's effects on encephalitis lethargica. |
| Interesting glimpse inside a mental hospital in the 1960s. Why do you think paranoia/psychosis |
| developed after prolonged L-dopa treatment? Neuronal supersensitivity? |
| I Am Sam |
| Genre: | Drama | Year: | 2001 | Rating: | PG-13 |
| Actors: | Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning |
| Topics: | Mental Retardation, Forensic, Family Dysfunction |
| Sean Penn portrays a man with mental retardation fighting for custody of his 7-year-old child. |
| Sam's group of friends are entertaining - two are truly developmentally disabled - his close |
| neighbor is agoraphobic. His lawyer is the stereotypical overworked yuppie professional woman, |
| estranged from her family. The film is a classic tearjerker. Despite significant research for the |
| film (watch the supplemental documentary), how realistic were the events? Did he take her to a |
| pediatrician? Did the pediatrician have any concerns about his care? Was that a realistic |
| portrayal of cross-examination of an expert witness? Could Sam really have afforded the |
| apartment at the end in Los Angeles, making somewhere around $8/hour? What really was in the |
| best interest of the child? Was the opposing attorney all that wrong? Many things to consider. |
| [Suggested by Kathleen Krach] |
| Life as a House |
| Genre: | Drama | Year: | 2001 | Rating: | R |
| Actors: | Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen |
| Topics: | Family Dysfunction, Terminal Illness, Drugs/Alcohol |
| Kevin Klein portrays a man diagnosed with terminal cancer and given 4 months to live. He |
| attempts to rebuild his relationship with his drug-using, life-hating teenage son, while they rebuild |
| a ramshackle house that was his lifelong goal. [Suggested by Carey Corbett, University of South |
| Florida] |
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