Movies with Agoraphobics

Lots of people stay at home. Lots of people suffer from panic attacks. Agoraphobics don't just choose to stay at home though. They have an irrational fear of people and things outside their home. It has nothing to do with the house itself and it may not have to do with any one incident. The fact is that agoraphobia can range from an intense discomfort with uncontrollable situations to a fear of anything new or unknown. Some great movies have been made that include agoraphobics and those movies help others to understand the extreme anxiety present as well as the steps that sometimes have to be taken to deal with agoraphobia.

"I am Sam": This is a heart wrenching movie on a variety of levels. Agoraphobia is only a small element of this movie. As events unfold, the neighbor of the main character has to make a choice to face her agoraphobia in order to play a crucial part in the main characters life. She has a choice to face her fears and help this man or to avoid the situation altogether. Sadly, as she faces her fears she is faced with a reminder of how cruel the world can be, if only in a limited sense.

"Pontiac Moon": This particular movie does an excellent job of demonstrating how agoraphobia can have an impact on the entire family. It also demonstrates how families can work together to confront their fears and learn to live a fuller life. The mother in this story has not left the house in years when the father decides it's time for the whole family to step out of their comfort zone and do a bit of living. This would be a great movie for someone with agoraphobia and an immediate family to watch so that they could see the impact of the disorder on the whole family. On the other hand, those that have loved ones with agoraphobia might benefit from learning about the power of encouragement as opposed to the impact of harsh judgment.

"Nim's Island": This is an excellent portrayal of the difference between anxiety driven imagination and never ending imagination that leaves one free to explore and enjoy various elements of life. Here we have 2 people who live inside their own minds. One is a girl who loves adventure and has a very vivid imagination that she uses to heighten her life on an island. The other is a writer whose only companion is her main character. The writer lives in a populous area, yet never leaves the house. The two come together when the young girl cries for help and the writer must make a choice between a real life adventure and the safety of her own home. Though this is a fun movie, it does a good job of showing how anxieties can make our minds fracture and how agoraphobia can make us feel like we're alone or would rather be alone on an island than exposed to anything outside of our comfort zone.

Movies can be useful as visual aids that can help us to understand elements of ourselves and others that we may not have had access to before. While they may be fictional characters, the sentiment is very real and it takes a practiced actor to pull it off. Personally, I've watched some of these movies and seen some of the warning signs of my own anxieties in them. As a work at home mom who also takes her classes online and is filled with my own anxieties, I can see where I might be a prime candidate for agoraphobia. These movies help to remind me of that and to show me what life would be like if I let it get that far.

References: Personal and professional experience.