There is a body of films that include a character with diabetes as part of the plot. In the late twentieth century, most films' references to diabetes were minor. Characters with diabetes were developed in plots in which the disease "played a more significant role" in films such as Steel Magnolias and Panic Room.[1] Dr. Kevin L. Ferguson discussed such films in the Journal of Medical Humanities and reported, "Films that represent diabetes must work around the disease's banal invisibility, and images of diabetics in film are especially susceptible to metaphor and exaggeration."[2]Everyday Health reported, "Sometimes, filmmakers get it wrong: mixing up different types of diabetes, imagining symptoms or complications that aren't accurate, or unfairly portraying another aspect of the condition."[3]
The American thriller film features twin sisters who are trapped in a swimming pool under a fiberglass pool cover. One of the sisters has diabetes and needs an insulin shot to avoid slipping into a coma.[4]
The French drama film is based on the real-life French pulmonologist Irène Frachon who fought between 2009 and 2011 to reveal that a diabetes drug was life-threatening.[5]
A kidnapped child turns out to be diabetic, and after unwittingly feeding him pie, the kidnappers must steal and inject insulin to prevent him from dying (they seem to do so intravenously).[6]
Michael Newman navigates the challenges of work, family, and a magical remote control that controls reality, while also contending with the implications of his father's diabetes-related complications.[19]
Sgt. Cameron Poe, recently paroled, boards a prison transport plane filled with dangerous convicts that gets hijacked, all while trying to secure insulin for his diabetic cellmate, Mike "Baby-O" O'Dell.[14]
Charles Schine, an advertising executive, gets entangled in a blackmail scheme after an illicit affair, forcing him to embezzle money intended for his daughter's expensive type 1 diabetes medication.[16]
The documentary film highlights that too much sugar in American diets is a strong reason for the prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 in the United States.[24]
In the biographical film about the creator of the McDonald's fast food chain, one of the McDonald brothers is hospitalized due to a stress-induced diabetes shock, and founder-to-be Ray Kroc visits him in the hospital to offer to buy out the brothers' restaurant.[25]
Mollie, and a number of the Osage, have diabetes; Mollie begins treatment with insulin as it is introduced, which is later used to slowly poison her by her husband Ernest Burkhart.
Bridget Cardigan teams up with Nina and Jackie to steal old dollar bills set for destruction at the Federal Reserve Bank, and their heist becomes complicated, with one of the bank robbers suffering from diabetes.[16]
The comedy-drama film, based on Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams, depicts a scene in which medical residents scrutinize a patient with diabetes, and Adams, unlike the others, asks for the patient's name.[34]
The American television film dramatizes the true story of Christian parents who believed their 11-year-old son's diabetes were healed by God and discarded his insulin, resulting in their son's death.[36]
One of the multiple personalities played by James McAvoy has diabetes and is shown injecting insulin, while none of the other personalities has diabetes.[40]
In the horror film, survivors of a zombie outbreak hide in a warehouse. One of the survivors hides her diabetes from the others, but when she falls into a coma, another survivor goes out to find insulin for her.[41]
Set in a close-knit Louisiana community, Shelby battles Type 1 diabetes and its complications, leading her to face life-altering decisions about motherhood, love, and sacrifice, all against the backdrop of the deep bond she shares with her mother, M'Lynn, and their group of supportive friends.[42]
After a series of personal mishaps, Tammy embarks on a chaotic road trip with her hard-drinking grandmother Pearl, who has diabetes but defiantly refuses medication, leading them on an adventure filled with mishaps, crimes, and unexpected bonds.[43]
The comedy film features the relationship between a father and his son. In the son's childhood, he is obese and has diabetes due to his father's lack of care.[44]
A caretaker of a forest preserve has diabetes; when his medicine is stolen, his son's attempt to recover the medicine leads to the family being terrorized by the criminal gang.[45]
A witch-hunter from the 17th century pursues a malevolent warlock to 20th century Los Angeles, and with the help of Kassandra, a woman cursed by the Warlock and who manages her diabetes with insulin, they work to prevent him from reassembling a powerful book that could end Creation.[8]
In this Canadian thriller, a psychopathic woman with diabetes attacks and (apparently) murders her wife. The victim, however, obtains posthumous revenge by having first poisoned her wife's insulin.[46]
The documentary film explores health risks associated with the meat industry and says that several studies show that meat consumption is a leading cause of diabetes.[47]
The protagonist's roommate is hospitalized for treatment of a coma due to diabetes. The protagonist falls in love with his roommate's sister, who comes to visit.[48]
The protagonist is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but chooses to conceal it from his lover.[49]
References
^Glick, Deanna (November 1, 2002). "Diabetes in the Movies". Diabetes Health. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
^Idlebrook, Craig (June 25, 2014). "Hollywood Does Diabetes". Insulin Nation. SelfRX. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.