GeroDoc's Picks: Top 10 Aging-Related Films of All Time.

For those of you that follow me on Twitter / X - you know I'm a movie buff. Here are my top 10 movies about aging, aging-related issues, and dementia. Enjoy!

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I’ve been having some writer’s block.

Also busy with kid things, and an increasing sense of forboding that the US is about to get plunged into another multimonth period of socioeconomic disorder (election season anyone?).

So, with that in mind, and given that it’s summer and maybe we want to catch up on some movies, I thought I’d take a side-trip into some favorite movies of mine, particularly ones that highlight aging, and aging-related issues like dementia, intergenerational relationships, loss, and personal growth in late life.

OK, here we go. Let’s start!

10. Still Alice (2014)

I do like Julianne Moore, who was excellent in the haunting, dystopian “Blindness” and one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time - “Children of Men.” In Still Alice, Moore plays the fictional character of Alice Howland, a linguistics professor who contracts early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. While Moore’s character isn’t, strictly speaking, geriatric, the story of Alice Howland was the brainchild of neuroscientist and author Lisa Genova, who used the experiences of her grandmother as a basis for what her protagonist suffered in the film.

The movie doesn’t break any particularly innovative ground from a directorial standpoint and is played more or less as a straight drama. However, Julianne Moore does an excellent job, and simply based on how dead-on accurate the movie depicts Alice’s disease process, it makes the top-10 slot. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland.

9. I Care a Lot (2020)

Rounding out #9 is probably the only major motion picture I’ve ever heard of that explores the world of professional conservatorship and guardianship (which I know a lot about given where I work).

What is that? Well - when an older person gets dementia and loses their ability to make decisions for themselves, and is declared incompetent by a court, they then can have appointed for them a public guardian, or conservator to make decisions for them. These people take control of their medical care and finances. Often, the people that do this are family members (say, a son, daughter, or spouse for a demented older person). However, there are professionals, and professional services who do this.

I Care a Lot explores what happens if these professionals, sometimes with conspirators in the court and eldercare industry, are corrupt and crooked, and what kinds of abuses can result. Although I haven’t personally witnessed the level of abuses depicted in this fast-paced, rather stylishly packaged black comedy, the movie does seem to make the case that these kinds of shenanigans can indeed happen, disturbingly.

Well acted by Rosamund Pike as the lead, also featuring Peter Dinklage. Directed by J Blakeson.

8. A Man Called Ove (2015)

Although most Americans are more familiar with “A Man Called Otto,” I years ago watched, and much prefer the original Swedish adaptation - both based on Fredrik Backman's novel (of the same name).

The novel and movie tells the story of Ove, an unpleasant and depressed old man who has given up on life following the loss of his wife. Ove's strict routines and staunch principles are disrupted when a lively young family moves in next door. Through a series of humorous and touching interactions, Ove's icy exterior begins to thaw, revealing a deeply caring individual beneath. The film effectively and touchingly explores themes of loneliness, grief, and the redemptive power of community and intergenerational relationships. Directed by Hannes Holm, with a standout performance by Rolf Lassgård as Ove.

7. Iris (2001)

Dame Judy Dench, Jim Broadbent, *and* Kate Winslet? Yes please! This movie has a star-studded cast of fantastic actors and explores the the life of British writer Iris Murdoch, focusing on her relationship with her husband and her battle with Alzheimer's disease.

I saw this movie years ago and cried watching it (yes, I will very occasionally do this).

The relationship between Iris and her devoted husband and caregiver is what did it for me. Beautiful film. Like “Still Alice,” definitely technically accurate about the details of Alzheimer’s disease and it’s progression, but spends a lot more time and care thoughtfully exploring the personalities and relationships of this film, which is it’s strength. Directed by Richard Eyre.

6. Nomadland (2020)

I saw this one with Mrs. GeroDoc a few years ago and we loved it.

It explores themes of aging, loss, and independence through protagonist, Fern, who is recently widowed and takes it upon herself to travel the American West in a her specialized, modified van which allows her to live as a modern-day nomad.

The movie is fascinating not only because of how it looks at how older adults can be forced to move on in life under difficult circumstances after losing a life partner, but also gives a window into the contemporary American nomad subculture. Lead role played by the always-excellent Frances McDormand, directed by Chloé Zhao.

5. Gran Torino (2008)

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this film with an ensemble cast of native Hmong actors. Somewhat reminiscent of “A Man Called Ove,” the film features grizzled, grumpy, and unpleasant protagonist, Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski, and explores themes of intergenerational relationships and cultural clashes between Walt and a young Hmong neighbor, Thao Vang Lor, who form an unlikely and close bond.

The movie ends with a dramatic finish. Acting and character development is excellent in that it both explores Hmong culture and also critically features the main character as a Korean War vet whose experiences during the war, including being the only survivor of his unit's assault on an enemy machine gun nest and the traumatic killing of a teenage North Korean soldier, significantly shaped his character and personality.

4. Robot & Frank (2012)

This movie is just fun, and similar to “Nomadland,” the movie is all about exploring themes of independence in old age (a very big deal for just about every older person I have ever met). When I saw the movie years ago, the premise was actually pretty novel - perhaps not so much these days (robots and AI are so passe now, right? Anyways).

The great Frank Langella plays ex-cat burglar, Frank, who forms an unlikely bond with his futuristic, robotic caretaker, whom he hilariously trains to help him commit heists. Directed by Jake Schreirer. Also stars Susan Sarandon and Peter Sarsgaard. Extremely enjoyable movie.

3. Up (2009)

Although Disney of late seems to be falling all over itself in a rush to release absolutely terrible movies and basically unwatchable, woke dreck, and also to ruin perfectly good franchises like Star Wars and Marvel, it wasn’t long ago that Disney seemed to be reaching new heights in releasing movies and products that excelled in creativity, sensitivity, and heart.

Up is such a movie. It’s incredibly well done, funny, and surprisingly emotionally complex. Much like Nomadland, it explores themes of loss. Like Gran Torino, it explores themes of intergenerational relationships, community, and social isolation as they relate to the predicament of protagonist and widower Carl Fredricksen, voiced by Ed Asner. In the film, Carl embarks on an adventure to fulfill a promise to his late wife, accompanied by a young, annoying boy scout.

Up is also a movie that did that rare thing. It made me cry. Yes, it was the first fifteen minutes or so of the film. If you’ve seen it you know what I mean. Directed by Pete Docter.

2. Some Kind of Heaven (2020)

Rounding out #2 is the only documentary to make my list, directed by newcomer documentarian Lance Oppenheim. The documentary takes place at “The Villages” - an age-restricted ‘active adult community’ located in Central Florida. “The Villages” is enormous, covers over 30,000 acres across Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties, has over 120,000 residents, features more than 60,000 homes, and apparently has plans for continued expansion.

“The Villages” is like nothing you’ve ever seen. The streets are set up as simulacrums of boomer-era “main streets,” almost as if it’s an adult Disneyworld with restaurants and themed activities to match. Everyone there is old and retired. It’s another world.

But the thing that makes the movie so great and so amazing is the characters (real people) in the film. They aren’t “just old people,” they are people - they struggle with issues of loneliness, sexuality, drug abuse and homelessness. They struggle with longing. They are real.

Some Kind of Heaven feels like a privilege to watch, both because it provides such an amazing and unique window into what’s almost a niche subculture of sorts that’s found at “The Villages.” But it also provides an intimate, fascinating, and gripping view into the lives of the various older people featured in it as they seek solace and meaning in their lives.

1. The Father (2020)

Without much hesitation, Florian Zeller’s The Father (which he wrote and directed, along with the successful stage play) makes #1 on my list.

Anthony Hopkins plays the octogenarian, Anthony, who struggles with dementia in the film and the acting couldn’t be more sublime, perfect, and emotionally heartrending.

Yes, it’s a movie about dementia and how it ravages sufferers and older adults. But what makes The Father so unique, so powerful, and so incredible is that it’s told completely from the point of view of the protagonist, Anthony, himself. What’s shocking about this movie is how well and convincingly the movie pulls this off.

Being a person with moderate dementia, at the point where “aging in place” at home is becoming increasingly treacherous and difficult, is heroically difficult from the perspective of a caregiver, which is explored well in the movie Iris.

However, in The Father, you get to experience how reality constantly shifts, how nothing seems certain, and how confusing and terrifying it is from the perspective of a dementia sufferer. There’s nothing like this film I’ve ever seen before, and the courage, creativity, and empathy it took to make this film is incomparable. It’s emotionally shattering to watch. Highly, highly recommend.

Well, there you go! If you have any aging-related films you would like to recommend, please let me know in the comments.