This has been another year of blockbuster movies, but if you’re looking for some healthy inspiration, we’ve gathered some of the best health and well-being related films and documentaries that came out in 2019.
For fans of Dr. Ruth, a new documentary discusses the impact she made with her talk show about sex. Filmmakers follow the lives of refugee families caring for their children who have slipped into comas after traumatic and stressful experiences in a documentary set in Sweden. Or if you are a fan of animated films, a new flick takes the viewer on an adventure with a mythical creature.
Best about family: “The Farewell”
This heartwarming, based-on-a-true-story film takes us from New York City to Changchun, China. At the risk of giving away the main plot, we can tell you the matriarch of the family has some health concerns and those concerns bleed over to the rest of the family. Awkwafina, aka Nora Lum, drives the story with her nuanced performance and many Asian Americans will be able to relate to the realistic clashes of culture that immigrant families go through. This film asks the viewer to consider who has the right to know about their diagnosis, and whether it is better to know when you are predicted to die.
Best that’s animated: “Abominable”
In this latest film from DreamWorks, a teenager deals with the loss of a family member and the feeling of not being complete anymore. She and her two friends meet a supposedly mythical creature, and through their adventures learn about teamwork and friendship. This animated film addresses grief from a child’s point of view as the main character hides her experience from loved ones and struggles with the pain alone.
Best about family planning: “One Child Nation”
This documentary talks to people in China in the aftermath of the infamous policy that limited the number of children born to each family to one. This film promises to be an emotional and eye-opening look into the sacrifices families had to make during that time. This documentary brings you face to face with people in China who had to deal with the policy, from the elderly women who were forced to kill babies born illegally to a young woman who has no legal identification and thus no way to get a job or live a normal life.
Best about genetic engineering: “Gemini Man”
Will Smith is a special agent faced with a dilemma when he learns that there is a younger version of himself running around. Smith’s character finds out that the government cloned him, and the battle to survive begins. Although this is an action movie, it brings up the ethical questions of cloning and genetic engineering, especially since Smith’s clone was created to not feel pain or emotion.
Best about sex: “Ask Dr. Ruth”
Dr. Ruth became an icon in the 1980s with her talk shows in which she gave sex advice. This came at a time when people generally did not talk about sex openly. The documentary follows her life in the spotlight as an advocate, but also outside of the limelight in her private life. She talks about her identity as a German Jewish refugee and her dedication to continue her work. This is the first full length documentary about Dr. Ruth, with in depth interviews with her, her family and celebrities such as Joan Rivers.
Available on Hulu.
Best about yoga: “Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator”
Since the 1960s, Bikram Choudhury has amassed a huge following as a yogi and developed his own style of hot yoga named after himself. People pay more than $16,000 for teacher training in Bikram yoga. In recent years, people have accused Choudhury of rape or sexual assault, which he denies. The film follows the downfall of his studio and talks to experts who say there are holes in his stories. Although much of the information about the scandal is public, Choudhury has escaped consequences. He is living in Mexico, and still holds teacher training workshops. The filmmaker hopes this documentary reignites the call to hold him accountable.
Available November 20 on Netflix.
Best about cannabis: “Grass is Greener”
The United States has a complex history with cannabis. “Grass is Greener” takes us back to the roots of the stigma against the drug and how it is tied to race. The filmmakers also talk to musicians like Snoop Dogg about weed’s role in music and the “war on drugs.” This documentary talks about the modern wave of cannabis products with the claims of health benefits and contrasts that to the history of weed and negative press that gave it a bad rap.
Available on Netflix.
Best about the brain: “The Creative Brain”
In “The Creative Brain,” neuroscientist David Eagleman talks to people about what makes us creative. They ask questions such as why do we create, what makes something creative, and what about the process makes us who we are.
Available on Netflix.
Best about refugees: “Life Overtakes Me”
This documentary gives us a glimpse into the lives of three refugee families who fled their home countries to Sweden. Each family has a child who has mysteriously slipped into a coma-like condition called resignation syndrome after periods of high stress and trauma. The children can stay in this comatose state for months or years, while the parents are doing what they can to keep them healthy. This film gives the viewer a window into a trauma-induced condition that is affecting hundreds of refugee children.
Available on Netflix.
Best about hearing: “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements”
Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky has parents who are deaf. When her son lost his hearing, they were able to get him cochlear implants to help him hear. Now 11 years old, he is learning to play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” on the piano and sometimes decides to play without his implants. This documentary puts the viewer in a home with three generations, where the deaf grandparents get to observe their deaf grandson benefit from technological advances to hear things they never could. Watch this touching story and find a new appreciation for the job your ears do.
Trailer available on Facebook.
Honorable mention
Best about medicine: “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley”
Filmmaker Alex Gibney walks the viewer through the rise and fall of Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes in this HBO documentary. The company was set up on the concept that blood tests could be performed by the machine they invented, using only a small amount of blood. Founded in 2003, the company became defunct in September 2018. In the age of going big and breaking things, this film shows how things can go very wrong when founders are too audacious and make health claims they cannot back.
Available on HBO.
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