Science in Movies!

I thought I would start with a subject that most people would say “there isn’t an appropriate movie that you can watch in that class.” So I decided to start with Science. This maybe a broad subject but it is a lot easier to narrow down movies that fit into this category than specifying the science like organic chemistry. When I talk about subjects I am going to be more broad because there are some subjects that are very hard to narrow down. So Science, when you think of Science you don’t think of a specific movie. In fact there are a couple movies that talk about genes and the way the body works.
My first example is Lorenzo’s Oil. This movie stars Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon. This movie is about a boy who “develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself” (IMDB). Now this movie is a very emotional movie and a true story. Lorenzo is diagnosed with ALD, a brain disorder. This movie goes in detail the steps to take to stop a disease like this and the many attempts the family makes to stop the disease. Eventually the family comes up with a type of oil that does help prevent the diseased cells from spreading.
This movie is a fun way for students to be entertained but also learn something about a diseases and the way they can affect people’s lives. I personally love this movie and think because of a movie that was made like this there have been more steps taken to better understand ALD and how to stop it from happening.
The next movie that I thought I would discuss that also involves Science is Gattaca. This movie stars Uma Therman, Ethan Hawke, and Jude Law. This movie is about “a genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.” This movie takes place in the future where doctors can tell you whether or not a child will live based on their genes. Ethan Hawke’s character only wants to be able to fulfill his dream and he takes on Jude Law’s genes so that he can travel to space. This movie is another way for students to learn about genes and DNA and what might happen in the future about doctors being able to genetically change fetuses.
I love this movie. It is a very different story line that some people are not used to but this movie helped me understand better about genetics and that people’s bodies and DNA can grow and change. People believed that because of Hawke’s inferiority he would not be able to go into space but his body and DNA was not weak but in fact strong and defied expectations.
There are plenty of other movies that are about science and show amazing stories of people wanting something and being able to pursue their passion. October Sky is about a high school student who becomes an amateur Rocket Builder. Stories inspire students, fiction or non-fiction. I may not have become a scientist or a doctor but without these movies I would not have learned or understood as much about genetics and DNA if I hadn’t watched it.