The doctor-elderly patient relationship in cinema: visions of care

Abstract This article aims to describe different views of care through the doctor-elderly patient relationship as addressed in feature films. Research was carried out based on national and international filmography, seeking films containing scenes in which the doctor-elderly patient relationship was portrayed in different ways. In the ten films analyzed, it was possible to identify expectations regarding the care of the elderly patient, both from the patient’s and their family’s view, describing the feelings and socio-cultural values present in the interrelationship established during the professional practice of medicine. It was concluded that cinematographic language is useful for the training of physicians, who should be concerned with the human aspect of their work, as well as for the interpretation of elements involving the complex doctor-patient relationship, particularly among the elderly.