Movies Related to the Topic!

Although all the movies listed below give insight into the world of the insomniac, I've yet to find a movie with insomnia (except for Insomnia (2002)) that's directly related and caused by anxiety independent from depression, substance or other comorbid medical conditions.  Any others recommendations?

Insomnia (2002): Al Pacino plays an LA policeman, with primary insomnia (when the insomnia complaints were not accompanied by a mental or general medical condition or by substance use). He flies to Alaska to lead a murder investigation, already extremely exhausted. This time of year in Alaska, the sun never sets, so it never gets dark at night. As the investigation progresses, the protagonist continues lying in bed with his eyes wide open, struggling desperately to fall asleep. He attempts to block all light from the room, he hides his alarm clock and turns off his phone. As his insomnia exacerbates, he 'sees' flashes and trickles of light. His vision grows blurry, he gets extraordinary distracted during conversations, and often dozes off into space. The longer he goes without sleep, the worse the consequences; he becomes belligerent, almost runs over a woman, and begins hallucinating. 6 nights without sleep! The pressure of the murder investigation and his residual guilt from killing his partner and covering in it up to protect himself overtly worsens his insomnia and vice versa. The film uses a lot of imagery: Alaskan glaciers (maybe that represent a dreamscape), green trees covered in fog, empty streets with schizophrenic traffic lights, "trance-inducing" windshield wipers. I presume they portray the "haziness, drifting, mental confusion and disorientation" (p. 180) associated with insomnia.

The Machinist (2004): The protagonist is a lonely depressed man unable to sleep for a long while. He uses Stimulants a lot like caffeine and nicotine, which isn't uncommon among those with in insomnia. His sleep difficulties are obviously negatively impacting his daily functioning. He's abnormally skinny, he caused a car accident, becomes paranoid are his colleagues are plotting against him. Even though anxiety isn't the main cause of his sleep problem, it portrays the debilitating effects of chronic insomnia quite accurately. The good news is that our anonymous journal writer hasn't experienced insomnia to this extreme.

Fight Club (1999): This shows circadian rhythm sleep disorder as his work requires frequent travel. He feels like he's never aware nor asleep and starts loosing a lot of weight. He often stares into space and his body language would suggest that he's completely drained. In the movie, his sleeplessness results in a departure from reality, leading to DID (dissociative identity disorder). Those with severe insomnia may experience dissociative or psychotic symptoms, but there's not evident that it causes DID.

Source:

Wedding, Boydm, Niemiec. Movies and Mental Illness 3. 2010 Hogrefe Publishing