Parkinson’s disease[1] is a progressive brain disorder[2] with visible (motor) symptoms in the parts of the body controlled by the affected parts of the brain along with a variety of non-motor symptoms. Symptoms start slowly, usually only on one side of the body, and are often not noticed at first. The stereotypical first symptom is a hand tremor[3], but there are many Parkinson’s patients who do not have muscle tremors. Instead, they may show signs of muscle stiffness[4], loss of dexterity, or slowing of movement[5]. Other symptoms include a lack of facial expression, a softening or slurring of the voice[6], reduced or no arm swing when walking[7], stooped posture, poor balance, and a sense of apathy or lack of motivation and depression.
Parkinson’s occurs when nerve cells in the brain die or become damaged and so stop producing normal levels of dopamine.[8] There is also an associated loss of the nerve endings that produce norepinephrine, which controls many functions of the body including heart rate and blood pressure. Most of the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s are tied to the resulting drop in brain dopamine levels, so most treatments focus on restoring dopamine –increasing dopamine production, increasing dopamine uptake, or replacing dopamine with a close substitute.
One of the most common Parkinson’s medications, levodopa, acts as a dopamine replacement. The drug played a pivotal role in the movie Awakenings (1990), which was based on the true story of Dr. Oliver Sacks (in the movie, Dr. Malcolm Sayer) who noticed that patients who had been catatonic since an encephalitis epidemic showed symptoms very similar to a Parkinson’s freezing episode. When he treated them with levodopa, they came out of their catatonic states. While less dramatic, levodopa plays a similar role for Parkinson’s patients, helping them regain some of the muscle control lost to the disease.
As with all things, there is a catch. A side effect of long-term dopamine treatments like levodopa, and its companion carbidopa, is dyskinesia, or uncontrolled muscle movements. Often, the involuntary body movements associated with Parkinson’s are actually the dyskinesia side-effects of the Parkinson’s medication, as in the case of actor Michael J. Fox and the character he played in The Good Wife (2009), who both suffer from significant dyskinesia.
As with most things, the more people know about it, the less stigma is attached and the more interest (and funding) there is for research. So, if you have a few million dollars that you’re not using, please consider donating it to Parkinson’s research. If not, then sill consider giving a few hours of your time to learn more about the disease and how it affects those who have it.
The kind folks at Parkinson’s Europe have thoughtfully put together a list of movies and TV series that include realistic depictions of Parkinson’s in a variety of fictional and factual contexts from around the world. Each of which has a corresponding entry in the EIDR Content ID registry, where you can link to external sources to learn more about each program.
Shorts, Movies, and TV Series Featuring Parkinson’s Disease[9]
Ecstasy (2023)
A short, dark comedy about a man with Parkinson’s who enlists his son to help him score some ecstasy pills to help alleviate his symptoms.
Happy Hour (2023)
Dr. Ines Debove and filmmaker Bettina Rotzetter explore the topic of quality of life and Parkinson’s.
Kaleidoscope (2023)
A master thief and his crew attempt an epic and elaborate heist worth $7 billion dollars, but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans. Giancarlo Esposito portrays Leo Pap, who has Parkinson’s.
Kinetics (2018)
Written by and starring person with Parkinson’s Sue Wylie as Rose, a middle-aged woman with early-onset Parkinson’s, and Lukas, a rebellious teenage boy who enjoys Parkour.
Late Night (2019)
Starring Emma Thompson as Katherine, a late-night talk-show host, and John Lithgow as Walter, her kind and indulgent husband who has Parkinson’s.
Love & Other Drugs (2010)
In 1990s Pittsburgh, medicine peddler Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) starts a relationship with Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a young woman living with Parkinson’s.
Mank (2020)
1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane (1941). In the film, Jamie McShane plays character Shelley Metcalf who faces a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Marriage Story (2019)
Noah Baumbach’s emotional divorce drama features actor with Parkinson’s Alan Alda, who plays Bert Spitz, the attorney of Adam Driver’s character, Charlie Barber. Baumbach doesn’t mask Alda’s shaking hands but keeps them in the frame, a visual contrast to the slick moves of the sharklike lawyers elsewhere in the movie.
Ray Donovan (2013–2020)
Ray Donovan, a professional ‘fixer’ for the rich and famous in Los Angeles, can make anyone’s problems disappear except those created by his own family. Ray’s brother Terry Donovan – played by Eddie Marsan – is a former boxer who has developed Parkinson’s. Despondent and shy, Terry owns a boxing gym in LA where his father and brothers hang out.
Shrinking (2023—)
This comedy about grief by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Jason Segel features Harrison Ford as a wise, funny therapist who has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
The Good Wife (2009–2016)
Michael J. Fox plays Louis Canning, a New York attorney who suffers from tardive dyskinesia. Watch on Prime Video.
The Manor (2021)
After suffering a mild stroke and showing signs of Parkinson’s, Judith Albright (played by Barbara Hershey) reluctantly moves into a historic nursing home where she becomes convinced a supernatural force is killing the residents.
The New Music (2021)
After his Parkinson’s diagnosis, a classically trained pianist embarks on a path of self-discovery, leading him to a punk band. Their rebellious lifestyle and music provide a distraction from his troubles and a sharp contrast to his old life.
Passion, Purpose & Parkinson’s (2023)
Director Olz McCoy’s short documentary about three creative people living with Parkinson’s and their respective experiences. In partnership with Cure Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s UK.
The Spiral (2020)
In this multiple award-winning short film, Igor Buzaev tells the story of a girl who dreams to treat her father from Parkinson’s. The film is based on a true story.
Sr. (2022)
Robert Downey Jnr’s film features the actor and his dad, who lives with Parkinson’s. Watch a trailer on YouTube. Watch the film on Netflix.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
A documentary exploring Michael J. Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails with Parkinson’s was released in May 2023
Stutz (2022)
Follows Jonah Hill and his therapist Phil Stutz as they have candid discussions about mental health and anxiety, as well as giving an honest insight into Stutz’s life with Parkinson’s. Watch on Netflix.
The Suspect (2022)
In this UK drama series, Aidan Turner plays Dr Joe O’Loughlin, who is coming to terms with a recent Parkinson’s diagnosis.
[1] Named for British physician James Parkinson (1755–1824), who published the medical paper “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy” (1817), by William Rutherford Sanders in 1865.
[2] It gets progressively worse over time. (At present) It cannot be reversed or cured. It is not, by itself terminal: One doesn’t die from Parkinson’s, one dies with Parkinson’s.
[3] Which can either be involuntary shaking, that often decreases when performing a task, or a “pill-rolling” tremor, where the thumb and forefinger rub back and forth.
[4] Which can include periods of rigidity, or “freezing”, when one is unable to move.
[5] Technically, Bradykinesia.
[6] Which can lead to monotone speech and hesitations before talking.
[7] This can extend to other automatic movements like eye blinking and smiling.
[8] Dopamine is most famous for the role it plays in feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation, but it also helps control memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration, movement, and other body functions.
[9] From the article “Parkinson’s in TV and film” by Verity Willcocks, posted to the Parkinson’s Europe Web site on 2023-06-09.