These films explore life with bipolar disorder through characters and stories shaped by the filmmakers’ own experiences.
all play characters with bipolar on the big screen. Don Arnold/Getty
Images; Michele K. Short/Netflix; Vera Anderson/Getty Images;
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In these films, characters with bipolar disorder take center stage. Not all movies get the illness right, but these characters are portrayed with sensitivity — and filmmakers avoid the pitfalls of stereotypes and reducing the characters’ identities to their bipolar. In several cases, the characters are even based on the real lives of the filmmakers.
Viewers see these characters at all different points in their life experiences with bipolar, from manic episodes to depression. Hospitalizations and the ups and downs of relationships with friends, family, and romantic partners are shown.
1. Patrizio ‘Pat’ Solitano, Silver Linings Playbook
Bradley Cooper was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Pat in this beloved film. Recently released from a hospital where he was being treated for bipolar disorder, Pat is on a mission to reunite with his estranged wife when he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). As the pair train for a dance competition together, Pat works on finding the silver linings of every situation in his life. Streaming on Netflix
2. Cam Stuart, Infinitely Polar Bear
Cam Stuart (Mark Ruffalo) raises his two young daughters in Boston while his wife pursues an MBA in New York City. The movie is a fictionalized account of director Maya Forbes’s own childhood, with her own daughter in a starring role. Streaming on HBO Max
3. Arthur Edens, Michael Clayton
Tom Wilkinson stars opposite George Clooney in this legal thriller as lawyer Arthur Edens, who has bipolar. His reports of being followed and his phone being tapped are dismissed as paranoia, until he turns up dead. Clooney, who plays a “fixer” for Arthur’s law firm, begins to investigate a corporate cover-up that Arthur warned him about before his death. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
4. Jasmine, Blue Jasmine
Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for her portrayal of Jasmine, a New York City socialite who runs out of money and suffers a breakdown. In the film, she goes to stay with her sister in San Francisco in an attempt to get back on her feet after the death of her husband. Although bipolar isn’t named specifically, she displays symptoms and it’s mentioned that she underwent electro-convulsive therapy as treatment. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
5. Theodore Finch, All the Bright Places
Based on Jennifer Niven’s critically acclaimed young adult novel, All the Bright Places follows two high school students, Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) and Theodore Finch (Justice Smith), who bond over their mental health struggles. Violet is dealing with grief and PTSD after the death of her sister and Theodore lives with bipolar disorder. The two begin a relationship and explore Indiana together for a school project. Streaming on Netflix
6. Clemence, The Year Between
This independent film follows Clemence, a college student who has bipolar disorder. She returns home during her sophomore year and begins working with a psychiatrist and a psychologist. The plot is inspired by the real life of Alex Heller, who stars as Clementine and also wrote, directed, and produced the movie. Streaming on Peacock
7. Carla and Marco, Touched With Fire
In Touched With Fire, Carla (Katie Holmes) and Marco (Luke Kirby) meet in a hospital where they are both being treated for bipolar disorder. The two begin an unlikely romance, bonding over their shared love for art and literature. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
8. Joseph Hawthorne, The Ghost and the Whale
Maurice Benard plays the lead role of Joseph Hawthorne, who has bipolar disorder and he drew from experience — not only does Benard play a TV character with bipolar on General Hospital, but he himself was diagnosed at age 22. In The Ghost and the Whale, Joseph falls under suspicion after his wife dies in a boating accident. Streaming on Peacock
9. Mark Whitacre, The Informant!
Matt Damon plays the titular role of the “informant,” a corporate scientist and whistleblower who reports price fixing at the agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland. While working as an informant for the FBI, Whitacre also deals with personal problems including bipolar disorder. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
10. Gloria, A Light Beneath Their Feet
In this mother-daughter film, Taryn Manning plays Gloria, a single mom to a teenage daughter. Gloria works at her daughter’s school and stays on her medication so she can take care of her. Meanwhile, her daughter struggles to make a decision between staying in Chicago to be near her mom, and following her dream of going to college in southern California. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
