15 movies about social phobia to understand this problem

Social phobia implies fear of contacting others, fear that something will go wrong in public or that strangers will harm us. It is not about shyness or simple withdrawal, but a real psychological problem.

There are few manuals that describe this anxiety disorder with hair and signs, giving some examples and mentioning its symptoms, but on many occasions the best examples come from the hand of the seventh art.

How a picture is worth more than a word today we are going to know 15 movies about social phobia to understand this problem.

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

Social phobia movies: 15 recommendations for moviegoers

Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, fear and anxiety are so serious and pathological that they can seriously alter the mental health and social performance of the person. Those who suffer from it cannot develop a full life, their studies, employment, relationships with family and friends, in addition to not being able to have a proper daily life normal.

Cinema has always been a great tool to expose all kinds of experiences, emotions and situations and, how could it be otherwise, he has also ventured into representing the lives of those who suffer from phobia Social. Next we will discover several films in which this disorder is present, either in the protagonist or in one of the characters that accompany him.

1. Zelig (Woody Allen, 1983)

Woody Allen's films often cause us anxiety and with his mockumentary “Zelig”, he was not going to be the exception, a perfect expositor on social phobia.

While the holidays make his sister and her lover rich and fun, the protagonist, Zelig, has a rather empty, very discreet existence. He does not have a great personality and his social skills are rather limited. She feels lonely, worthless and worthless. Nobody cares about him and he thinks he has many enemies, who give him the feeling that they are watching him.

Zelig, lacking the affection of his family, reinvents himself as a person and tries to adapt to life, trying to go as unnoticed as possible. It is a real chameleon that fulfills what every person with social phobia wants: to be socially accepted at all times. Still, as a reserved and tormented character that she is, she decides to undergo therapy to see if, by chance, she finds her own identity before he is subdued by that of others.

2. Housekeeping (Bill Forsyth, 1987)

Two sisters have to cope with her mother's suicide, isolation, and living in a broken home in 1950's rural Idaho. As they get older, the introverted and neurotic Ruth (Sara Walker) begins to feel overshadowed by her little sister Lucille (Andrea Burchill). When the strange Aunt Sylvie (Christine Lahti) comes to take care of the sisters, the people of the Conservative people and the increasingly prominent younger sister make a dent in the fine bond that she bound to the family. Ruth takes refuge in the forest with her aunt Sylvie and isolates herself more and more.

3. Discovering Forrester (Gus Van Sant, 2000)

Yamal is a high school student who observes that in one of the buildings in his neighborhood there is a man who is always peering through the window. Intrigued, she discovers that it is not just any person, but a famous writer who has ended up withdrawing from society and has not left home for years. The talent of this writer has led him to have to take refuge in his world for fear of social criticism, the harassment of his fans and the fear that, if he does not satisfy his public, he will become a social outcast.

4. Elling (Petter Næss, 2001)

"Elling" is a Norwegian film that knows how to reflect very well the effort of his protagonist to overcome his fear of society.

Elling is a man who all his life has been overprotected by his mother who, being older, decides to separate from her for a while and ends up sharing an apartment with Kjell Bjarme, a big man obsessed with food and sex.

Elling and Kjell will establish a very interesting relationship, which will help them to insert themselves into society and develop as normal people. Although with touches of comedy, the film describes the story of two people with strong fear of criticism, disapproval, extreme fear of being rejected or embarrassed in public. In one way or another, the film manages to put us in the same skin as her, transmitting anxiety, fear of others and a feeling of insecurity.

5. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet 2001)

"Amélie" is already a classic and, perhaps, it will come as a surprise to learn that it describes the life of a person with social phobia. Indeed, Amélie (Audrey Tautou) meets criteria for social anxiety. He wants to improve the lives of others, but instead of doing it assertively and telling them what he thinks or what should do, prefers to make small manipulations that affect the "victim of her" being she at a distance prudential. Throughout the film you can see her fear and desire to bond with a man.

6. Intoxicated With Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002)

Among Adam Sandler's many “humor” films there are some that are quite good and “Intoxicated with love” is one of them. Playing Barry Egan, who is surely his best character, presents us with life with social phobia, a man with problems interacting with other people. Barry has seven sisters who have not treated him exactly well. How will this affect a person with social phobia? Does it increase or weaken it? Does your fear of him in his world stem from his fear of his family?

7. Crossroads (Tom McCarthy, 2003)

Following the death of his boss, Finnbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) inherits a train station in rural New Jersey. Being a short person has made Finnbar emotionally isolated and cynical. By going to town he will face a society that will try to break down its social barrier.

This film, which could well be considered a dramedia, shows how the cruelty of others can easily weaken people, and also how compassion and friendship can truly be powerful.

8. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess, 2004)

Although the protagonist of this film, Napoleon (Jon Heder), is quite strange, his best friend Deb (Tina Majorino) is the one who best represents the symptoms of social anxiety. Unlike her friend, who doesn't care what others say about him, she does care, a lot. Although interacting with strangers is a very bad drink, Deb has to bite the bullet and, in order to raise money for college she goes door to door selling her services as photographer.

9. Forget about me! (Michel Gondry, 2004)

A man named Joel (Jim Carrey) with social anxiety meets a woman named Clementine (Kate Winslet) who is just the opposite of him: no fear. What will happen between the two of them? Will it be like mixing water with oil? Two opposites attracting each other? Joel is presented as a hermit, not friendly at all with other people. Instead, Clementine is a free spirit with colorful hair and eager to live. Despite being like a very good couple, their interactions are rather difficult.

10. Lars and a real girl (Craig Gillespie, 2007)

In situations of complete loneliness, human beings can withdraw into themselves, and this is shown by this film. Lars is a shy boy who lives with his brother and his sister-in-law.

He is not very talkative and avoids contact with strangers at all costs, for fear of being judged in a terribly hostile world. He closes in on his emotions, avoids having a conversation and does not express himself to anyone in the outside world.

One day he comes up with how to contact others without fear: an inflatable doll named Bianca. He does not intend to use her for sexual purposes, but as the company that will not judge him that he craves so much, commissioning her to establish a relationship. From this delusion and alienation he draws a new form of contact, recognition and acceptance of his own concerns and emotions.

11. Eagle vs Shark (Taika Waititi, 2007)

Lily (Loren Horsley) has a social phobia, but works in a fast food restaurant, which certainly doesn't help much. He starts to like a nerd named Jarrod (Jemain Clement) and as the two get to know each other better and Forging bonds, they discover they have a fondness for video games and for dressing up as animals predators. This is a film of self-improvement and, in turn, a demonstration of how rare human interactions are.

12. Mary and Max (Adam Elliot, 2009)

Warning: this movie is cloudy. This stop-motion plasticine animation film talks about Mary and Max, quite depressing characters and, at the same time, funny, who do not fit in a superficial and elitist society. They live entrenched in lives that no one else seems to care about. Their fear of the outside world, seen as obscene and insecure, makes them increasingly confined to themselves.

13. The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010)

Despite being only ten years old, "The King's Speech" has become a classic of the seventh art. If the fear of being judged by others being a normal person is already intense, it acquires real proportions (in both senses) when the person who suffers it is neither more nor less George VI of the Kingdom United.

With a low self-esteem, who is still a prince feels that his stuttering prevents him from exercising role for which he was born, to be the king his nation needs at the dawn of WWII World.

The character, played by Colin Firth, motivated by his wife Isabel (ACTRESS) seeks professional help and meets Lionel Logue, a speech therapist who will use very unorthodox techniques with the aristocrat. The film exposes the prince's initial frustration, his fear of making a fool of himself in public, but also his desire to improve, perseverance and overcoming adversity.

14. Shy Anonymous (Jean-Pierre Améris, 2010)

In a humorous way, this French film tells us about the fear of feeling naked that occurs before the possibility of establishing a relationship. The protagonists are not that they are shy, but that they are people who live in almost permanent tension. They are in the midst of a desire to love, work, exist and, ultimately, be like normal people and something that always blocks them. They want to do many things, enjoy life and be happy, but they themselves and their irrational fear frustrate their plans.

15. Nerve (Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, 2016)

In this movie, Josh (Tyler Langdon) constantly lives with anxiety. This causes him to live a life that is not life, so he decides to undergo experimental therapy. There are two reasons why he does it: the first is that he really wants to improve and, the second, he is try to get a more personal relationship with his coordinator Aurora (Laura Alexandra Ramos). Josh's symptoms mirror a person with social phobia, from being uncomfortable at parties to manifesting panic attacks.

Bibliographic references:

• Chambless, D. L.; Fydrich, T.; Rodebaugh, T. L. (2008). "Generalized social phobia and avoidant personality disorder: Meaningful distinction or useless duplication?". Depression and Anxiety. 25 (1): 8 - 19.
• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.