Before Still Human and The Upside, 10 other great films about caregivers you need to watch

Three of this week’s new releases in Hong Kong cinemas focus on the strained relationships between elderly or disabled patients and their hired help.

In Oliver Chan Siu-kuen’s debut Still Human, Anthony Wong Chau-sang plays a curmudgeonly divorcee, confined to a wheelchair, whose family hires Crisel Consunji’s Filipino helper to tend to his daily needs. Despite a language barrier, the relationship proves mutually beneficial.

The Upside follows a similar trajectory; in Neil Burger’s Hollywood remake of French smash-hit The Intouchables, Kevin Hart plays a parolee who talks his way into the position of live-in caregiver to Bryan Cranston’s quadriplegic billionaire. Also opening this week is the South Korean courtroom drama Innocent Witness , which centres on the apparent murder of an elderly man by his live-in helper (Yum Hye-ran).

The role of caregiver often falls to a spouse or family member, but can prove just as challenging when assigned to an employee. When explored in cinema, these complicated relationships often fall into one of two genres.

Filipino actress’ role highlights experience of Hong Kong domestic helpers

In the more life-affirming version of events, the typically mismatched pair will forge a grudging respect for one another, one that perhaps blossoms into a romance, as both learn a greater appreciation for their time on Earth. If the patient and carer don’t hit it off, the power dynamic can be exploited and the relationship becomes manipulative, leading to infinitely more terrifying results.

Here are 10 of our favourite carer films:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

The bitter off-screen rivalry between Hollywood icons Bette Davis and Joan Crawford explodes onto the screen in this darkly humorous camp classic. Davis plays washed-up former child star “Baby Jane” Hudson, who is now an alcoholic and mentally unstable. She lives with her sister Blanche (Crawford), who was herself a hugely successful actress until a car accident saw her confined to a wheelchair. Fuelled by a lifetime of jealousy and resentment, their sibling rivalry spirals into persecution and paranoia.

The Elephant Man (1980)

In one of his most accessible and critically acclaimed films, David Lynch recounts the tortured life of John Merrick (John Hurt), severely deformed and endlessly exploited in late 19th century London. Anthony Hopkins plays the surgeon who takes “The Elephant Man” into his care, rescuing him from a life as a fairground attraction. Merrick’s wit, intelligence and humanity make him the toast of Victorian high society, but the threat of enslavement by Freddie Jones’ sadistic showman is never far away.

My Left Foot (1989)

Daniel Day-Lewis won his first Academy Award for his heart-wrenching portrayal of real-life cerebral palsy sufferer Christy Brown in this celebrated biopic. Born into a huge Irish working class family, Brown managed to write, paint and communicate, despite only having the use of his left foot. Throughout his life, Brown benefited from the unwavering support of his mother (Brenda Fricker), as well as his carer, Mary (Ruth McCabe), who would later become his wife.

Misery (1990)

Proving carers don’t always have their patients’ best interests at heart, Kathy Bates strikes terror into the hearts of authors everywhere as psycho fan girl Annie Wilkes, for which she deservedly won an Oscar. When celebrated writer Paul Sheldon crashes his car in the remote countryside, he wakes up in the home of his “Number one fan”, who issues some very specific demands if he is to ever get out alive. A timeless tale of deranged adulation, Misery remains one of the best Stephen King adaptations around.

Oasis (2002)

Stories such as these can yield incredible performances, and perhaps none more so than in Lee Chang-dong’s unconventional love story. Moon So-ri is sensational as a cerebral palsy sufferer, who is hidden away by her family while they enjoy a subsided apartment thanks to her condition. But when she is discovered by Sol Kyung-gu’s simple-minded ex-convict, they form an unlikely connection, and he whisks her away into a world that almost feels normal – until tragedy inevitably intervenes.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

After suffering a stroke that leaves him totally paralysed except for his left eye, former Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) refuses to give up hope, eventually dictating his own memoir by blinking. None of this would have been possible without the tireless dedication of his bedside interlocutor, Claude (Anne Consigny). Beautifully directed by Julian Schnabel, with innovative cinematography by Janusz Kaminski, the film stands as a testament to Bauby’s resilience and one of the best representations of paralysis on-screen.

The Intouchables (2011)

Before The Upside, François Cluzet and Omar Sy appeared in one of the biggest French blockbusters of all time. Cluzet plays a wealthy aristocrat, paralysed from the neck down following a paragliding accident. Omar Sy, who won a French Cesar award for his performance, is the struggling young man from the projects, whose no-nonsense approach proves a breath of fresh air for both men. Bridging racial and class divides, The Intouchables asks us all to look beneath the surface and find a reason to live.

A Simple Life (2011)

A surprise hit from director Ann Hui On-wah, this true-life drama stars Andy Lau Tak-wah as a successful movie producer, who must put his career on hold to care for his family’s elderly housemaid (Deanie Ip Tak-han) after she suffers a stroke. Winner of numerous awards at home and abroad – not least the best actress honour at the Venice Film Festival – A Simple Life is a heart-warming tale of responsibility and sacrifice that triggered a recent resurgence of small-budget social dramas in Hong Kong.

Robot & Frank (2012)

In the near future, retired jewel thief and widower Frank Langella is gifted a robotic caregiver by his concerned, but absent, children. The android, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard, is programmed to monitor Frank’s health, but the frustrated pensioner soon puts his new companion to work, planning his latest heist. It shouldn’t work, but it does, thanks to a smart and witty script by Spider-Man: Homecoming screenwriter Christopher Wood, delightful direction, and a stellar cast, including Susan Sarandon, James Marsden and Liv Tyler.

Chronic (2015)

While disability, old age and illness certainly weigh heavy on the patients, the suffering can also take its toll on their carers. Tim Roth is heartbreaking as a middle-aged man whose life is in tatters after repeatedly putting his patients first, only for each of these intense relationships, inevitably, to end in tragedy. Challenging viewing to be sure, Chronic brings a unique perspective to this subgenre, providing much-needed empathy for those in the thankless role of caregiver to the terminally ill.

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