Cinema is a reflection of reality and, as such, it often becomes a mirror of the world. Its fictional stories try to describe in as much detail as possible the problems and all the events that commonly occur in everyday life. Today we are sharing with you some of the addiction films that have been seen over the years. Not only to understand how these disorders are portrayed on the big screen, but also to understand that it is a medium that can help with drug rehabilitation.
Watching addiction films
The history of cinema is full of unpleasant, surprising, unreal, profound, shocking films, etc., but all of them stem from reality and are grounded in everyday aspects of people’s lives. For this reason, regardless of the acceptance they may ultimately achieve among the public, they are very useful resources for understanding what happens every day in most societies around the world.
Cinema is a very engaging medium and, through the linguistic codes it uses (images, voiceover, and visual and sound effects), it ends up capturing the attention, curiosity, and imagination of many people. That is why, as a mass communication medium, it has often been used to convey specific messages to society and for re-education in certain areas.
Before creating a new work, film professionals study reality and their surroundings from their point of view. This makes them more aware and helps them understand that there are many problems in society and in life in general when it comes to health and drugs. And that very often, the least common and the most vulnerable groups are also the most serious and end up being made invisible.
Through small stories, events that happen every day but ultimately do not come to light, such as addictions, can be told to everyone. This creates the possibility that they will be talked about more, become normalized, and opens the door to the development of specialized treatments and to the rehabilitation of less well-known drug addictions, for example. Although films are not always completely faithful to what happens, they create a new opportunity for those who are less privileged.
Cinema also helps with re-education. That is why it is often used on many occasions as a treatment and solution for various behavioral problems. Watching addiction films can make it easier to learn about a specific topic, better understand an event, or even change a person’s values.
Seeing how society represents an event in a different way than an individual imagines it can help broaden their perspective. And, as a result, find alternative ways to address emotional, health, financial, etc. problems that they would not have thought of otherwise.
Another area of study of addiction films is seeing how drug problems, addictive disorders, and dependencies are portrayed visually in this medium. Since, very frequently, drama is sought over realism for profit. However, any cinematic contribution helps broaden social knowledge about addictions.
Below, we show you some of the best-known addiction films that have helped improve visibility around drugs and dependency.
Addiction films
Films about drugs
Arrebato (1979)
A film that portrays the lifestyle of some artists through the use of all kinds of narcotics and the consequences of addiction.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
This film tells the routine of a group of drug-addicted thieves bound by emotional ties.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) is a man suffering from depression who ends up losing everything, taking refuge in alcohol. Along the way, he meets people who help him rehabilitate.
Trainspotting (1996)
Mark Renton, a young man from Edinburgh, decides to live as a heroin addict instead of pursuing a traditional life with a family and a stable job. Along with his circle of friends, they gradually experience the series of decisions that surround heroin use.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Harry (Jared Leto), a drug user and dealer, and his mother, Sara (Ellen Burstyn), show one of the most unpleasant sides of the world of addictions. She is addicted to methamphetamines, as is her social circle. Slowly, they watch their dreams turn into a nightmare. The image of drug use has become a popular reference in addiction films.
28 Days (2000)
Sandra Bullock is a writer who, in one of the best-known addiction films, shows how her life can end negatively due to her problems with alcohol. After having an accident after drinking alcohol, she enters a rehabilitation center, where she meets people who support her in her recovery.
Spun (2002)
This film explains the underworld of methamphetamine use from a hotel room, which, being of poor quality, increases addiction. It is a kind of portrait of the symptoms.
Films about addictive behaviors
Bigger Than Life (1956)
Ed Avery (James Mason) is a teacher forced to take experimental drugs to recover from an illness, becoming addicted as a result.
Shame (2011)
A film about sex addiction disorder. Michael Fassbender is an individual stereotyped according to society’s superficial values, who falls into a deep dependency.
Thanks for Sharing (2012)
Apart from drugs and alcohol, this film also deals with sex addiction. When dependency begins to affect their lives, three people decide to join a program to overcome addiction. During rehabilitation, they only have themselves to rely on. So they begin to build a strong friendship.
Nymphomaniac (2013)
Joe is a girl who, from a young age, has felt an insatiable desire for sex, despite the problems that have accompanied this addiction. For example, being an accomplice to a criminal or hurting loved ones.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the film’s protagonist. A man from New York who, in his eagerness to find a job on Wall Street, ends up experiencing firsthand the lifestyle that is lived there, to the point of developing various addictions. In order to get lots of money, drugs, and sex, he manages to reach the top of the business sector. Later, he watches as his whole world slowly falls apart.
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