List of films featuring diabetes

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]

List of films

Film	Year	Description
12 Feet Deep	2017	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]
150 Milligrams	2017	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]
The Accountant	2016	A film about a forensic accountant who is also an assassin. In the film, an assassination victim dies by insulin overdose to protect his family from violence.
After Dark, My Sweet	1990	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]
Alma	1999	A documentary film about Alma Thorpe, whose primary condition is schizophrenia, but she also has diabetes.[7]
The Ambulance	1990	A rogue doctor in an ambulance kidnaps people with diabetes for his experiment.[8]
The Baby-Sitters Club	1995	Amidst various interpersonal dramas among the members of the club, Stacey grapples with revealing her diabetes to her older boyfriend, Luca.[9]
Battle Royale II: Requiem	2003	A diabetic schoolgirl is sent on a mission with other students to kill a terrorist but only has three days' worth of insulin with her.[10][11][12][13]
Beats, Rhymes & Life	2011	A documentary film about the band A Tribe Called Quest, including Phife Dawg, who has diabetes.[7]
Big Nothing	2006	In the black comedy film, criminals kill an FBI agent with diabetes by force-feeding him a lollipop.[14]
Bread and Roses	2000	A married couple has financial difficulties because the husband has diabetes.[15]
Brokedown Palace	1999	The father of one of the wrongfully imprisoned women has diabetes.[16]
Broken	2012	The coming-of-age film stars an 11-year-old child who is learning to manage diabetes.[17]
Chocolat	2000	An elderly woman in the film hides her diabetes from her family.[18]
Click	2006	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]
Cliffhanger	1993	The female pilot of the criminal gang radios for emergency backup, saying that they need insulin for a person with diabetes.[20]
Con Air	1997	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]
The Confessional	1995	A family mystery is investigated, and hereditary diabetes is a clue in establishing a family link.[21]
A Deadly Adoption	2015	In a parody of melodramatic films screened on the TV network Lifetime, two parents see their daughter fall into a diabetic coma.[22]
Derailed	2005	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 Diabetic	2023	A lonely and irreverent 30 year old Type 1 Diabetic named Alek returns to his hometown to re-live his teenage 'glory days.' [23]
Dog Day Afternoon	1975	The manager of the bank at which the robbery takes place has diabetes and is threatened by the hostage taking, as he needs medication.[16]
Fed Up	2014	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]
The Founder	2016	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]
The General	1998	The titular Irish crime boss Martin Cahill develops type 2 diabetes.[26]
Gigli	2003	A character with diabetes is helped by another character.[27]
Glory Enough for All	1988	A dramatized account of the discovery of insulin by Frederick Banting and Charles Best researching at the University of Toronto in 1921–22. The film focuses on Elizabeth Hughes, a seriously sick diabetic girl who is one of the first to receive the miracle treatment.[28]
The Godfather Part III	1990	The film's crime boss, Michael Corleone, suffers from diabetes.[7]
Gubra	2006	When a woman's father is hospitalized due to diabetic complications, she meets a man with whom she falls in love.[29]
Half Baked	1998	The stoner comedy film features a horse with diabetes.[7]
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters	2013	As a result of consuming too much candy in Hansel and Gretel, Hansel contracts diabetes and must periodically inject insulin.[30]
The Hospital	1971	Dr. Schaefer, a diabetic, is murdered by an insulin overdose.
It Runs in the Family	2003	The protagonist's wife suffers from complications from diabetes and is on dialysis due to kidney failure.[15]
Jerry and Tom	1998	The film's hitman suffers from diabetes.[26]
Just Before Dawn	1946	A criminal psychologist is tricked into injecting a person with diabetes with poison instead of the insulin needed.[31]
Killers of the Flower Moon	2023	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.
Mad Money	2008	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]
Meeting Daddy	2000	The colonel in the film has diabetes and uses a glucometer to monitor himself.[27]
Memento	2000	In a side plot, a man with amnesia treats his wife with diabetes.[7]
The Next Three Days	2010	A husband attempts an escape plan for his wrongfully imprisoned wife, who has diabetes.[15]
No Good Deed	2002	The film's police officer is shown performing a self-maintenance routine for diabetes.[16]
Nothing in Common	1986	The protagonist's parents divorce, and he learns that his father has diabetes and has been avoiding treatment.[32]
Over the Brooklyn Bridge	1984	The lead character Alby (played by Elliott Gould) has diabetes.[33]
Panic Room	2002	A young girl with diabetes and her mother are trapped in a safe room during a home invasion.[16]
Patch Adams	1998	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]
Paul Blart: Mall Cop	2009	Paul Blart fails his police exam because of symptoms of diabetes, mainly hypoglycemia.[35]
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2	2015	In previous movies, Paul Blart fails his police exam because of symptoms of diabetes, mainly hypoglycemia.[35]
The Planet of Junior Brown	2000	A character with diabetes is helped by another character.[27]
Promised a Miracle	1988	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]
Regarding Henry	1991	The film's attorney, recovering from a shooting, meets an elderly man with diabetes.[26]
Reversal of Fortune	1990	A husband defends against charges that he killed his wife who had diabetes.[37]
The Right Hand Man	1987	Based on the historical novel The Right-Hand Man, the film is set in Australia in 1860 and features a protagonist with diabetes.[38]
S/O Satyamurthy	2015	A man meets a woman with diabetes and develops a relationship with her.[39]
Scarecrow Gone Wild	2004	A college-age man suffers a diabetic shock as a result of a prank but is resurrected as a killer scarecrow.[7]
Soul Food	1997	A matriarch's refusal to address her diabetes leads to her death and her family falling apart.[19]
Species	1995	An alien seductress rejects and kills a candidate mate because he has diabetes.[7]
Split	2016	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]
State of Emergency	2011	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]
Steel Magnolias	1989	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]
Tammy	2014	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]
That's My Boy	2012	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]
This Old Cub	2004	A documentary film about baseball player Ron Santo, who has diabetes.[26]
To Kill a Man	2014	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]
Warlock	1989	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]
The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time!	1982	The documentary film shows the band The Weavers, including bass vocalist Lee Hays, who had diabetes.[7]
What Keeps You Alive	2018	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]
What the Health	2017	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]
Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name?	1971	The film amateur sleuth has diabetes and is helped by another character.[27]
The Witches	1990	The young protagonist's grandmother has diabetes.[15]
Wonderful World	2009	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]
Sugarless	2022	The protagonist is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but chooses to conceal it from his lover.[49]

References

1. Glick, Deanna (November 1, 2002). "Diabetes in the Movies". Diabetes Health. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
2. Ferguson 2010, p. 183
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4. Hamman, Cody (June 20, 2017). "12 Feet Deep: Trapped Sisters (Film Review)". JoBlo.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
5. Lodge, Guy (September 16, 2016). "Film Review: '150 Milligrams'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
6. After Dark, My Sweet (1990) - IMDb, archived from the original on 2012-09-17, retrieved 2021-03-16
7. Campbell, Christopher (November 14, 2011). "10 Memorable Diabetic Movie Characters – In Honor of World Diabetes Day". indieWire. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
8. Ferguson 2010, p. 201
9. Eng, Joyrce (June 17, 2016). "Will There Ever Be a Baby-Sitters Club Sequel?". TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
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11. "It Isn't So Bad…Right? Top 10 Battle Royale II Moments". September 4, 2014. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
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15. "Movies Highlighting Diabetes". dLife. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
16. Ferguson 2010, p. 193
17. Child, Ben (November 6, 2012). "Broken fixed up with nine British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
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19. Ferguson 2010, p. 198
20. Staff (1998). Winning With Diabetes: Inspiring Stories of Famous and Not-So-Famous People With Diabetes Who Live Life Abundantly. American Diabetes Association. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-945448-97-6.
21. Dunđerović, Aleksandar (2003). The Cinema of Robert Lepage: The Poetics of Memory. Wallflower Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-1-903364-33-8.
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27. Ferguson 2010, p. 194
28. "Glory Enough for All (TV Movie 1988) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
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30. Suebsaeng, Asawin (January 25, 2013). "'Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters' in 3D: Diabetes, Witches, Kung-Fu Witches, and Sex With Witches". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
31. Ferguson 2010, p. 203
32. Ferguson 2010, p. 199
33. Canby, Vincent (March 2, 1984). "Screen: 'Brooklyn Bridge'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
34. Bogue, Ernest Grady (2010). The Leadership Choice: Designing Climates of Blame Or Responsibility. WestBow Press. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-4497-0242-7.
35. "LA Youth » Movie review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop". Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
36. Mills, Nancy (May 17, 1988). "The Promise of 'Miracle,' a Tragic Tale of Faith Healing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
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38. Goodman, Walter (October 2, 1987). "Film: Rupert Everett in 'The Right Hand Man'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
39. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (April 10, 2015). "S/O Satyamurthy: To keep up a father's honour". The Hindu. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
40. "For A Film About Multiple Identities, M. Night Shyamalan's "Split" Can't Find Its Own". Fast Company. 2017-01-20. Archived from the original on 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
41. Idlebrook, Craig (June 25, 2014). "Hollywood Does Diabetes". Insulin Nation. SelfRX. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
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43. Stevenson, Jane (July 2, 2014). "Vanity not an option for Susan Sarandon in 'Tammy'". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
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Bibliography

• Ferguson, Kevin L. (September 2010). "The Cinema of Control: On Diabetic Excess and Illness in Film". Journal of Medical Humanities. 31 (3): 183–204. doi:10.1007/s10912-010-9110-8. ISSN 1041-3545. PMID 20376543. S2CID 27743573.

External links

• Type 1: Diabetes in the Movies at Diabetes Health