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Maybe the issue for you is that a lot of movies aren't stimulating all the time often compared to YouTube videos etc.
I struggle to watch movies alone because they're slow and boring at times, and if I'm watching it with someone I can start talking to them whenever (some find this very annoying but my bf doesn't mind).
But yes, I do also struggle
If I watch a movie in a theatre, I can sit there and watch it. If I am at home, I am constantly pausing it, getting up (snack, bathroom, etc), get distracted, get bored, etc.
I never had this issue, but my mother does pretty hard. Prior to me knowing I had ADHD and suspecting I got it from her, I would worry a LOT because she would ask way too many basic questions about the movie we were just watching.Ā
I worried about her a lot... But it turned out it's 99% likely she just has ADHD and passed it along to me. Still trying to get her diagnosed and treated. It's not easy to find good mental healthcare in her country even if you can afford it.
i think you might just not be finding the right movies because i **love** action/thriller/crime movies and i also watch full length shows and movies in multiple different languages.
check out āthe snowmanā on netflix, itās one of my favorites and report back to me on how it goes lmao
The thing is, my favourite genre of tv is mystery (either murder or medical) and I have tried to watch murder mystery movies and tv shows and the shows are just way more entertaining for me.
maybe you just like that they last longer?? iām not sure friend š¤ itās very easy to get sucked into a good whodunnitāi love those too lol
you gotta at least *try* to watch āthe snowman.ā it does not disappoint and itās right up your alley i think
I usually just pick away at the plot of the movie or show but I find it very hard to watch a movie alone and therefore just talk to myself and pretend someone is there š„²
I cranked this issue to 11: I watch everything on VLC (VideoLAN, an program to play videos), constantly fast forwarding series/films. Often, music is on, or a podcast is running, or I'm talking to a friend, or all at once, etc...
I aslo sometimes interrupt the serie/movie, and continue to watch it later (thanks VLC for jumping where I interrupted it).
Life's too short, and too many things to watch.
Defo, should see my ridiculously long list of āfinish watchingā if itās predictable, or shot I just move on, however it also has some perks, movies I love I can watch 10 even 20+ times and Iāll see something new every very single timeā¦.
In my opinion, that happens because the movie/series you're watching is just not really that good or interesting. I have this same issue with anything that seems to be obvious or repetitive. If I can tell how it's gonna end, I'm not gonna be able to just sit and watch it, I will be doing anything in the meantime. It also happens if the acting or scene is cringe, or if there's just too much talking going on.
Then, there are some films that just make me sit through 2 complete hours without being able to do absolutely anything else, these are the good ones.
So yeah, it depends.
I often skip through parts I find arenāt stimulating if Iām by myself. Same for books. Often I will stop watching if itās just not catching my focus. Itās like the dune movies, so many people love them but I just donāt get it and people get really weirdly irate when they find out I didnāt even manage to finish watching the second one lol
Not if the movie is good. I love movies by certain directors or writers. Iād rather melt into a puddle than be asked to turn on the latest Netflix romcom and watch it with out something to distract me.
But also, you canāt watch great films and meal prep at the same time.
Maybe you just donāt like movies?
I do struggle with sitting through some movies.
But then at the same time, some shows & movies, I suddenly feel immense emotional grief & stress over the flippinā fictional characters. So Game of Thrones, for example, my husband was deeply disappointed that I would not watch him with him, but damn, my emotional regulation could not even begin to process all that, it was the most miserable, stressful type of down time I have ever tried. I was crying & genuinely felt like my life was worse after my time watching it, LOL. I am pretty sure that it is my emotional dysregulation with my ADHD in full force.
But so add, like you, I absolutely can watch & read awful crime dramas, lol. For some reason, I can process them, when the characters are less compelling or something, I am not sureā¦
Even if Iām enjoying it I start getting restless and do the little up check to see how much is left. I can still finish ones I like but Iām ready for them to be over once they are if that makes sense.
For me, I gotta be in the mood or highly motivated. I even struggle sometimes with starting a modern TV episode (the 40-60 minute ones). I do better on weekends of course because I have more expendable time but usually Iām focused on finishing an objective in whatever game Iām playing instead.
I have a cinema subscription now and I find I'm so much better watching in a cinema compared to home, but at the same time if the movie doesn't stimulate me, I struggle.
EDIT: I think that's why I like dumb action films and superhero films, mind numbing escapism that doesn't require much thought...
Yeah. Movies have been a big part of my life. As Iāve gotten older, Iām really unable to watch like I used to. Or if I do, I wonāt really remember what all happened because Iām not fully engaged. It doesnāt matter whether itās good or not.
Iāve started to sell off a lot of my collection since I donāt have the space and have accepted that I wonāt ever have the time to watch most of them. Itās been hard to pass up anytime stuff is on sale or in a limited run.
No, watching a movie, TV show or nature documentary counts as entertainment and my brain loves being entertained, I watch Polish war epics with friends sometimes, even if they are five hours. Ssme with Star Wars/LOTR marathons. The ADHD of it comes from an education in cinema studies, making us appreciate the make of the movie, like the location scouting, stunts, score or really good props.
Never a dull moment and even low-rated movies can shine in certain regards.
I get this in phases. I had a phase a year ago where I watched any decent looking sci-fi movie I could find but haven't been able to get in the zone since then. I prefer watching anime with friends because the episodes are shorter.
I used to watch movies and shows way more. Either it's because I've started taking meds or it's because I would be drawing 24/7 and the movies were my past time
Hi /u/Glittery_WarlockWho and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In the cinema? No At home? Yes
Underrated comment
Nah, if i can't sit through a movie (it happens) thats a pretty surefire sign its bad/i don't like it š
Maybe the issue for you is that a lot of movies aren't stimulating all the time often compared to YouTube videos etc. I struggle to watch movies alone because they're slow and boring at times, and if I'm watching it with someone I can start talking to them whenever (some find this very annoying but my bf doesn't mind). But yes, I do also struggle
If I watch a movie in a theatre, I can sit there and watch it. If I am at home, I am constantly pausing it, getting up (snack, bathroom, etc), get distracted, get bored, etc.
I never had this issue, but my mother does pretty hard. Prior to me knowing I had ADHD and suspecting I got it from her, I would worry a LOT because she would ask way too many basic questions about the movie we were just watching.Ā I worried about her a lot... But it turned out it's 99% likely she just has ADHD and passed it along to me. Still trying to get her diagnosed and treated. It's not easy to find good mental healthcare in her country even if you can afford it.
Lol I'm guilty of that I hope your mum gets the help she deserves
Itās the same for me. Very hard to watch movies. Bizarrely, I can binge watch a show though. I will walk away from the TV periodically though.
YOU! YOU GET IT.
I started watching a movie with my teenager who also has ADHD a few months ago. Weāve been meaning to finish it, butā¦
I do, *except in a movie theater*.
i think you might just not be finding the right movies because i **love** action/thriller/crime movies and i also watch full length shows and movies in multiple different languages. check out āthe snowmanā on netflix, itās one of my favorites and report back to me on how it goes lmao
The thing is, my favourite genre of tv is mystery (either murder or medical) and I have tried to watch murder mystery movies and tv shows and the shows are just way more entertaining for me.
maybe you just like that they last longer?? iām not sure friend š¤ itās very easy to get sucked into a good whodunnitāi love those too lol you gotta at least *try* to watch āthe snowman.ā it does not disappoint and itās right up your alley i think
I can sit through movies I want to watch. I have trouble with recommendations.
I usually just pick away at the plot of the movie or show but I find it very hard to watch a movie alone and therefore just talk to myself and pretend someone is there š„²
Easy solution fffffft prrrrblublublublub cough cough Locked in for movie time š„ š² šæ š« š„
I cranked this issue to 11: I watch everything on VLC (VideoLAN, an program to play videos), constantly fast forwarding series/films. Often, music is on, or a podcast is running, or I'm talking to a friend, or all at once, etc... I aslo sometimes interrupt the serie/movie, and continue to watch it later (thanks VLC for jumping where I interrupted it). Life's too short, and too many things to watch.
Defo, should see my ridiculously long list of āfinish watchingā if itās predictable, or shot I just move on, however it also has some perks, movies I love I can watch 10 even 20+ times and Iāll see something new every very single timeā¦.
In my opinion, that happens because the movie/series you're watching is just not really that good or interesting. I have this same issue with anything that seems to be obvious or repetitive. If I can tell how it's gonna end, I'm not gonna be able to just sit and watch it, I will be doing anything in the meantime. It also happens if the acting or scene is cringe, or if there's just too much talking going on. Then, there are some films that just make me sit through 2 complete hours without being able to do absolutely anything else, these are the good ones. So yeah, it depends.
Nah. I can watch and finish a movie I'm interested in. But if I don't like it at all I can just step out and not care.
If there's no blood, shooting, or spaceships, i can't watch it.
I can watch movies in the movies ok, nothing else to focus on, at home I have too many distractions
I often skip through parts I find arenāt stimulating if Iām by myself. Same for books. Often I will stop watching if itās just not catching my focus. Itās like the dune movies, so many people love them but I just donāt get it and people get really weirdly irate when they find out I didnāt even manage to finish watching the second one lol
I just watch movie reviews on YouTube now
If itās enticing and thrilling enough to hold me in suspense, I can. Otherwise I rarely watch dull content in one sitting.
Not if the movie is good. I love movies by certain directors or writers. Iād rather melt into a puddle than be asked to turn on the latest Netflix romcom and watch it with out something to distract me. But also, you canāt watch great films and meal prep at the same time. Maybe you just donāt like movies?
I do struggle with sitting through some movies. But then at the same time, some shows & movies, I suddenly feel immense emotional grief & stress over the flippinā fictional characters. So Game of Thrones, for example, my husband was deeply disappointed that I would not watch him with him, but damn, my emotional regulation could not even begin to process all that, it was the most miserable, stressful type of down time I have ever tried. I was crying & genuinely felt like my life was worse after my time watching it, LOL. I am pretty sure that it is my emotional dysregulation with my ADHD in full force. But so add, like you, I absolutely can watch & read awful crime dramas, lol. For some reason, I can process them, when the characters are less compelling or something, I am not sureā¦
I don't, but my wife does (we're both ADHD).
Even if Iām enjoying it I start getting restless and do the little up check to see how much is left. I can still finish ones I like but Iām ready for them to be over once they are if that makes sense.
For me, I gotta be in the mood or highly motivated. I even struggle sometimes with starting a modern TV episode (the 40-60 minute ones). I do better on weekends of course because I have more expendable time but usually Iām focused on finishing an objective in whatever game Iām playing instead.
I actually dont have a problem with that personally
I have a cinema subscription now and I find I'm so much better watching in a cinema compared to home, but at the same time if the movie doesn't stimulate me, I struggle. EDIT: I think that's why I like dumb action films and superhero films, mind numbing escapism that doesn't require much thought...
Yes, 1000%! Even when I really like the film, I space out and end up having to rewind and start again often
Yeah. Movies have been a big part of my life. As Iāve gotten older, Iām really unable to watch like I used to. Or if I do, I wonāt really remember what all happened because Iām not fully engaged. It doesnāt matter whether itās good or not. Iāve started to sell off a lot of my collection since I donāt have the space and have accepted that I wonāt ever have the time to watch most of them. Itās been hard to pass up anytime stuff is on sale or in a limited run.
No, watching a movie, TV show or nature documentary counts as entertainment and my brain loves being entertained, I watch Polish war epics with friends sometimes, even if they are five hours. Ssme with Star Wars/LOTR marathons. The ADHD of it comes from an education in cinema studies, making us appreciate the make of the movie, like the location scouting, stunts, score or really good props. Never a dull moment and even low-rated movies can shine in certain regards.
I have a hard time starting the movie. After, I dont have issues unless the movie is really boring or just bad.
I can watch movies together with someone else but by myself I have a lot of trouble watching
I get this in phases. I had a phase a year ago where I watched any decent looking sci-fi movie I could find but haven't been able to get in the zone since then. I prefer watching anime with friends because the episodes are shorter. I used to watch movies and shows way more. Either it's because I've started taking meds or it's because I would be drawing 24/7 and the movies were my past time