Movies about schizophrenia - Mental Health Related Films

Human lives and behaviour are far more nuanced and emotive than any psychiatric diagnostic system or symptom checklist can ever portray.

Most people recognise aspects of themselves in at least a few psychiatric diagnostic categories. The difference between normal and disorder is not straightforward and often has more to do with degree rather than kind, i.e. does it cause big problems?

While movies are not perfect depictions of reality, they often present themes in relatable, enriching, usefully challenging, and thought-provoking ways.

We invite you to explore mental health through movies that raise awareness, open dialogue, present complexity, entertain, and/or normalise experiences.

Click to see the Ultimate List of Mental Health Movies index

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness (see criteria below) characterised by distortions in thinking, emotions, sense of self and behaviour. Schizophrenia is not related to dissociative identity disorder (AKA multiple personality disorder). A person with schizophrenia can lose touch with reality and may experience hallucinations and delusions. Schizophrenia is a serious condition that can be controlled with proper treatment.

In psychiatry, schizophrenia disorder is defined in the DSM-5 (psychiatric diagnostic manual) as follows (abridged criteria)…

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria of Schizophrenia 295.90 (F20.9)

A. Two (or more) of the following, each present for a significant portion of time during a 1 -month period (or less if successfully treated). At least one of these must be (1 ), (2), or (3):

1. Delusions.

2. Hallucinations.

3. Disorganised speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence).

4. Grossly disorganised or catatonic behaviour.

5. Negative symptoms (i.e., diminished emotional expression or avolition).

B. For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, level of functioning in one or more major areas, such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, is markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset (or when the onset is in childhood or adolescence, there is a failure to achieve expected level of interpersonal, academic, or occupational functioning).

C. Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least 6 months. This 6-month period must include at least 1 month of symptoms (or less if successfully treated) that meet Criterion A (i.e., active-phase symptoms) and may include periods of prodromal or residual symptoms. During these prodromal or residual periods, the signs of the disturbance may be manifested by only negative symptoms or by two or more symptoms listed in Criterion A present in an attenuated form (e.g., odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences).

Movies about Schizophrenia

If we missed an essential film about schizophrenia, please let us know. We would love to include it.

Note: Movies may trigger painful memories and emotions. Please use your judgement and ensure support is available if need be.

Movie Title: Fear of Rain - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2021

Rated: 5.9

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Harry Connick Jr., Madison Iseman

Storyline: A young girl who lives with schizophrenia battles with terrifying hallucinations while developing suspicions that her neighbor has abducted a child. The girl finds solace in Caleb, a boy whose existence she is uncertain of, as he becomes the only person who believes her.

Movie Title: Horse Girl

Release: 2020

Rated: 6.0

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Sarah Hyland, Melissa Leo

Storyline: Sarah, who leads a socially isolated life, exhibits symptoms consistent with schizophrenia. She experiences intense and unsettling hallucinations, holds delusional beliefs, and demonstrates disorganized thinking.

Movie Title: Dual Mania - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2020

Rated: 8.7

Cast: Lara Phillips, Sherrice Eaglin, Renee Domenz

Storyline: A young man possesses and attempts to conceal dual persona throughout his ongoing sessions with his therapist. He experiences symptoms associated with schizophrenia.

Movie Title: Lost Transmissions - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2019

Rated: 5.1

Cast: Juno Temple, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Hazlewood

Storyline: When a well-known music producer goes off his schizophrenia medication, his friends chase him through the LA music industry in order to help commit him to a psychiatric facility, exposing the disturbing shortcomings of our mental health care system.

Movie Title: A Nice Quiet Life - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2018

Rated: 4.6

Cast: Jordan Becker, Jacob Fortner, Taylor Clift

Storyline: Two college students fall in love one year before graduation and have bright futures ahead until one of them develops schizophrenia.

Movie Title: Advantages of Travelling by Train - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2019

Rated: 6.4

Cast: Luis Tosar, Pilar Castro, Ernesto Alterio

Storyline: A woman finds herself living in her schizophrenic and abusive boyfriend's dark spiral full of insanity and perversion

Movie Title: Call Me Crazy, A Five Film - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2013

Rated: 7

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Sarah Hyland, Melissa Leo

Storyline: Five short films about different psychiatric disorders; schizophrenia, depression , bipolar disorder , and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) . Three of the five stories are connected.

Movie Title: The Professor and the Madman

Release: 2019

Rated: 7.3

Cast: Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Eddie Marsan

Storyline: The movie portrays the life of Professor James Murray as he begins work on compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century. He received over 10,000 entries from a patient with schizophrenia at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr William Minor.

Movie Title: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer (Schramm)

Release: 1993

Rated: 6

Cast: Florian Koerner von Gustorf, Monica M., Micha Brendel

Storyline: A man with schizophrenia drugs his victims and murders them. He is about to reap what he sows.

Note: This movie is included as an example of how terribly wrong (and stigma promoting) media representations of schizophrenia can be. While people with schizophrenia are capable of crime (just like the rest of us), the condition is more likely to impede (not promote) the ability to carry out the kinds of crimes depicted here.

Movie Title: Shine - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1996

Rated: 7.7

Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Justin Braine

Storyline: A man with schizophrenia struggles to reach his dream to become a pianist. Going in and out of an institution, he finally got the chance to play the piano again.

Movie Title: Love and Mercy - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2014

Rated: 7.4

Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks

Storyline: A bandleader struggles with schizophrenia. He begins a relationship with the saleswoman he met. His girlfriend finds out his therapist's true motives.

Movie Title: The Snake Pit - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1948

Rated: 7.7

Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn

Storyline: A woman with schizophrenia entered an institution where her doctor tries his best to know the root of her illness while an abusive jealous nurse worsens her situation.

Movie Title: Through a Glass Darkly - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1961

Rated: 8.1

Cast: Harriet Andrson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max Von Sydow

Storyline: A woman with schizophrenia is reunited with her family on an island where she starts to believe that God is visiting her.

Movie Title: Promise - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1986

Rated: 7.7

Cast: James Garner, James Wood, Piper Laurie

Storyline: A man inherits his mother's estate and also the responsibility of taking care of his brother who is struggling with schizophrenia.

Movie Title: Strange Voices - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1987

Rated: 6.6

Cast: Nancy Mckeon, Valerie Harper, Stephen Macht

Storyline: A woman's life is shattered when she starts hearing voices and becomes delusional . After learning that she has schizophrenia, her family falls apart.

Movie Title: Nightbreed - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1990

Rated: 6.5

Cast: Craig Sheffer, David Cronenberg, Anne Bobby

Storyline: A doctor drugs his patient which leads to schizophrenia. He then frames up his patient to cover all of the murders he's doing.

Movie Title: The Fisher King - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1991

Rated: 7.6

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Adam Bryant

Storyline: A man struggling mentally is about to end his life when he meets a homeless man with schizophrenia who helps him when thugs attacked him. He decides to help back this man by finding his obsession, the Holy Grail.

Movie Title: Benny & Joon - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1993

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn

Storyline: A man who fulfils his responsibilities to his sister with schizophrenia, faces challenges when another man enters their lives.

Movie Title: Angel Baby - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1995

Rated: 7.2

Cast: John Lynch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Colin Friels

Storyline: A couple with schizophrenia believes that their love is more powerful than their medication. Ahead of their decision to stop medication lies the road to a collapsing result.

Movie Title: Clean, Shaven - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1993

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Peter Greene, Alice Levitt, Megan Owen

Storyline: A father with schizophrenia is in search of his daughter while an officer tries to follow him as he is suspicious of him. The truth unfolds after his inspection.

Movie Title: The Cell - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2000

Rated: 6.3

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio

Storyline: An FBI agent wants to know where the serial killer, who has schizophrenia, hides his latest kidnap victim. He seeks help from a psychotherapist, who practices new treatments wherein she can enter the mind of a patient.

Note: The tendency to represent serial killers in movies as suffering from a psychotic illness, like schizophrenia, is a clear example of stigma and of how poorly the condition understood. People with schizophrenia should receive care, not fear.

Movie Title: A Beautiful Mind - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2001

Rated: 8.2

Cast: Russel Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly

Storyline: A mathematician with schizophrenia accepts confidential work in cryptography. His life starts to turn upside down.

Movie Title: Donnie Darko - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2001

Rated: 8.1

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell

Storyline: A teenager, symptomatic of paranoid schizophrenia, claims to see visions of a talking demonic rabbit telling him the world will end soon. Series of events then took place.

Movie Title: Igby Goes Down - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2002

Rated: 7

Cast: Kieran Gulkin, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum

Storyline: A teenager who has a father with schizophrenia and a mother with cancer tries to find a better life by breaking his family's traditions, beliefs, and perspectives in life.

Movie Title: Spider - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2002

Rated: 6.9

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson,

Gabriel Byrne

Storyline: A man with acute schizophrenia tries to cope up in a halfway house after being institutionalised but has never truly recovered.

Movie Title: Homeless to Harvard - Watch now on Prime

Rated: 7.3

Cast: Thora Birch, Michael Riely, Robert Bockstael

Storyline: A teenager, who despite having a mother with schizophrenia, a father who's a drug addict, and becomes homeless, manages to finish her studies, and went to Harvard University.

Movie Title: Keane - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2004

Rated: 7

Cast: Damian Lewis, Abigail Breslin, Amy Ryan

Storyline: A desperate man with schizophrenia meets the daughter of a woman in a motel, plans to keep the child as it reminds him of her daughter.

Movie Title: Spider Forest (South Korean) - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2004

Rated: 6.7

Cast: Woo-Seong, Jung Suh, Kyeong-Heo Kang

Storyline: A patient with schizophrenia tries to prove his innocence in a crime where he is the main suspect, because of the fingerprints discovered that belongs to him.

Movie Title: 15 Park Avenue - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2005

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rahul Bose

Storyline: A woman with schizophrenia created an imaginary world where she believes her older sister and mother kept her away from her husband and children who live in a non-existing avenue.

Movie Title: Proof - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2005

Rated: 6.8

Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis

Storyline: A daughter of a mathematician with schizophrenia starts to question herself if she inherited her father's illness along with his ability in math. She claims to have developed proof of her father's theory.

Movie Title: Stateside - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2004

Rated: 6

Cast: Jonathan Tucker, Rachel Leigh Cook, Agnes Bruckner

Storyline: A love story of a stubborn boy teenager and an actress diagnosed with schizophrenia that fights for their relationship even being opposed by many.

Movie Title: Canvas - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2006

Rated: 6.8

Cast: Griffin Miner, Marcia Gay Harden, Devon Gearhart

Storyline: A husband to a wife with schizophrenia struggles as he tries to do his best for his wife, but finds unexpected comfort by trying to connect with their son who has trouble with his own identity.

Movie Title: Memoirs of My Nervous Illness

Release: 2006

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Joe Coleman, Robert Cucuzza, Jefferson Mays

Storyline: A judge with schizophrenia believes he's being communicated by God by carrying secret messages on his nerves, wanting him to transform into a woman.

Movie Title: I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (South Korean) - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2006

Rated: 7.1

Cast: Su-Jeong Lim, Rain, Hee-jin Cha

Storyline: A woman who believes, she's a cyborg, meets and falls for a man with schizophrenia and kleptomaniac, believing he could steal souls.

Movie Title: The Soloist - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2009

Rated: 6.7

Cast: Jamie Fox, Robert Downey Jr., Cathrine Keener

Storyline: A journalist meets a homeless musician with schizophrenia. Their friendship changes each other's life for the better.

Movie Title: The Uninvited - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2009

Rated: 6.4

Cast: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebel, Elizabeth Banks

Storyline: A girl with schizophrenia returns home after being institutionalised. But her arrival at their home starts to arouse serious troubles.

Movie Title: Sucker Punch - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2011

Rated: 6.1

Cast: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudges, Abbie Cornish

Storyline: A girl with symptoms of schizophrenia creates her imaginary world with fictional characters as she plans her escape from the institution.

Movie Title: Take Shelter - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2011

Rated: 7.4

Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham

Storyline: A man with symptoms of schizophrenia starts to hallucinate about a coming storm. He tries to keep his sanity by consulting a psychiatrist, but his worries cause him to start building a shelter in their backyard.

Movie Title: Maps of the Stars - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2014

Rated: 6.3

Cast: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson

Storyline: A woman with schizophrenia holds a secret that might ruin the career of a problematic actress, an analyst, and a rich child star.

Movie Title: The Voices - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2014

Rated: 6.4

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick

Storyline: A factory worker with schizophrenia lives with his dog and cat that he believes are talking. He gets stood up on a date that leads to a disastrous path.

Movie Title: Ironweed - Watch now on Prime

Release: 1987

Rated: 6.8

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Caroll Baker

Storyline: A man with schizophrenia goes back to his hometown after a long period of time and reunites with his sometime lover. Past memories hunt him and he starts hallucinating.

Movie Title: Tere Naam (Hindi) - Watch now on Prime

Release: 2003

Rated: 7.2

Cast: Salman Khan, Bhoomika Chawla, Mahima Chaudry

Storyline: A man with symptoms of schizophrenia is unable to remember his past, but the woman he loves tries to connect with him again, even her parents oppose her plans.

References and Links

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

What is Schizophrenia?: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml

Schizophrenia FAQs: https://www.bbrfoundation.org/faq/frequently-asked-questions-about-schizophrenia

More on Schizophrenia: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/schizophrenia

Schizophrenia according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

Acknowledgements

The above article was written under my close direction and supervision. However, much credit goes to Charlene Poliquit (my right-hand man) and Andri Eigenberger (my beloved aunt) for their huge efforts in bringing this task to life.

Vincenzo Sinisi