ABSTRACT
Fiction film gives a dramatized portrayal of neurologic disease, while documentary film portrays reality. There are multiple short documentaries on neurologic disease, usually made by patient organizations. Some neurologic documentaries are shown in disability film festivals—most notably, the New York disability film festival. Sentimentalization of neurologic illness is also a potential concern. Some documentaries show the full devastation of a life-threatening neurologic disease. This chapter explores full-length documentaries on major brain injury and progressive neurologic disease. It discusses filmmakers with neurologic disease, filmmakers with parents with neurologic disease, and filming in nursing homes or in a patient’s home environment. Some scientists have stated that precision medicine is just around the corner, and if so, this could create immediate ethical problems with neurologic disorders of late onset. Accurate prediction varies for each of the neurologic disorders, and actual testing may involve insufficiently validated biomarkers.
