Movies about dementia & caregiving — what actually feels real?

WalkingWithThem · January 2

Hi everyone
I’m a caregiver for a parent with dementia, and I’m still learning how to live in this new reality.
Some days are about routines and patience, other days are about grief, exhaustion, and trying to hold on to small moments of connection.

Lately I’ve been watching movies about dementia and caregiving - not as entertainment, but as a way to feel less alone and maybe understand this journey a little better.
The problem is that many movie lists online either romanticize the illness or barely show the caregiver side of it.

Here are a few films I’ve already watched that felt honest to me:

Still Alice
The Father
Away from Her
Iris
Supernova

Some were painful, some quietly accurate, but they helped me feel seen in ways I didn’t expect.
I also came across a couple of movie-by-theme lists focused on dementia and caregiving, but I’m not sure how helpful they really are:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category%3AFilms_about_dementia

https://bestsimilar.com/tag/315-dementia

Have any movies helped you as a caregiver?Not “perfect stories,” but ones that show the confusion, the love, the burnout, the sadness, and those rare gentle moments.

If you feel like sharing, I’d really appreciate your recommendations.
Sending strength to everyone walking this path

Biggles · January 2

You could try A Headfull of Honey on Netflix I watched, I laughed, I cried and then I recommended it to our two older children. They watched in their own time and it’s helped them understand their Dad just a little bit more. Although the same but different the kindness compassion and understanding comes through quite well.

Call me Gram · January 2

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/262481#Comment_262481

Thank you for suggesting this movie! It wasn't available for me on Netflix, but I was able to rent it on Prime Video.

Movie quote: "When he says or does things that seem odd, you should act like he makes perfect sense to you. Step inside his world. That will help him."

Barbie300 · January 3

I liked the movie the Pleasure Seekers. It deals with suicide but somehow didn’t depress me. There were actually some laughable scenes.

LearningCurve · January 3

I really enjoyed Season 1 of "The Inside Man." It was entertaining, sensitive, therapeutic for me.

JulietteBee · January 3

If a movie is based on a book, I read the book first. So, that was what I did with, "Still Alice." The movie did not disappoint.

I am going to look for the others you mentioned, as I too like watching such movies. Though most story lines are not real, I do get little aha moments of things I could try, etc.

I just heard about one by a Jamaican comedy legend, Oliver Samuels, called "Sugar Dumpling." I am in search of where to locate it.

Movies about dementia & caregiving — what actually feels real?

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