Analyzing an Inaccurate Anaphylaxis Depiction in a Movie

By Andrea Jensen, CHES, AE-C

3 min read

The other night, I was watching a new movie titled Glass Onion. It was fast-paced, and I missed much of what was happening, so I decided to watch it again. If you haven't seen Glass Onion yet, this is your official spoiler alert!

I turned on closed captioning on the second watch. As I watched the movie a second time, I noticed a scene where a character died because of anaphylaxis. This character had large muscles and looked like he could defeat anything coming his way.

"Hang on!" I told my husband, "anaphylaxis can't happen that fast!"

Media inaccurately portraying allergies

It drives me crazy when movies or TV shows inaccurately portray someone with respiratory allergies, food allergies, or asthma. With asthma, characters are usually sickly-looking kids who sit out gym class and then take puffs of their inhalers (and the inhaler technique is always wrong).

Popular media usually portrays characters with allergies as someone with loads of tissues, sniffling, and sneezing. Okay – fair enough on that one.

Food allergy portrayals

With food allergies, movies will show someone being bullied with their food allergen, which makes my blood boil! Or, they will portray someone having an allergic reaction, and the movie makes fun of it. This also makes me angry. There's nothing funny about watching someone's face swell up, break out in hives, or have difficulty breathing.

Sometimes, TV shows or movies portray someone eating a tiny bite of food, suddenly clutching their throat, and then keeling over. People don't die that quickly from an allergic reaction!

Breaking down this anaphylaxis movie scene

In Glass Onion, the detective does a recap at the movie's end. He reveals that the character I mentioned took a large sip of his drink which was spiked with pineapple juice. His pineapple allergy caused him to die of anaphylaxis in about 10 seconds.

The reality of anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that should not be downplayed. It can be life-threatening, but not within seconds like the movie portrayed. Let's talk about the reality of anaphylaxis, which can differ from person to person.

My symptoms can be different than others, and my reaction can differ each time. So this is just my viewpoint! Usually, my face will start tingling; then, it will begin to swell. My heart starts beating abnormally, my asthma flares up, and I feel my throat closing.

When I have experienced anaphylaxis, my symptoms usually begin about 30 minutes after exposure to seafood. This can happen through cross-contact or if my husband eats seafood and then kisses me. I'm cautious about avoiding seafood, but I also know I can develop a new food allergy at any time (which happened to me last summer).

Anaphylaxis takes longer than 10 seconds

I had different symptoms with the new food allergy I developed last summer. 30 minutes after eating chicken curry and lentils, my stomach was upset. I tried antacid tablets, but they didn't help. Then I tried liquid stomach medicine, but no luck there. It kept getting worse, and I realized I was going to vomit. It took me that long to realize that I was experiencing an allergic reaction!

This process took over an hour, and I knew I needed epinephrine. Fast!

False information is misleading

And in Glass Onion, the character feels his first symptom of anaphylaxis and then dies within 10 seconds? That's not right.

This false portrayal is reckless and leads those with food allergies to think the same thing could happen to them. Can people die from untreated anaphylaxis? Yes. But can it be treated with epinephrine? Also yes.

With the multi-million dollar budget directors have, it would be great to hire a medical expert to ensure their portrayals are accurate! Did anyone else roll their eyes when you saw that scene? Or did it scare you?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Allergies.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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tony retired eng Member
Our daughter, special needs, has gotten some of my allergies. She is very suggestible, and wrong depictions give us a new set of myths to overcome, for years. She gets itching in her mouth and throat. Her doctor suggested Claritin for her. She recently became allergic to shellfish, one of her favorites. It works for her. Talk to your own doctor before trying. Myself, with some allergens, and/or food my lungs will begin to clamp down within seconds. I rarely wheeze, they just inhale and exhale less volume. I also have emphysema. Epipen and emergency inhaler get me a few minutes to an hour. I also keep a nebulizer in our home and in our autos. Inverters are not expensive, Take very little room, and can be life savers.
1. alexavecchione Community Admin
 Hi <inline-mention username="tony retired eng" user-id="5449412"/> - thanks for sharing! I'm glad Andrea's article resonated with you, and it's interesting to hear your perspective as a parent worried about false depictions influencing your daughter. What have those conversations been like with your daughter when it comes to debunking allergy myths? It sounds like you've found what works well for managing your and your child's allergies - I hope you both are doing well! All the best, Alexa (Allergies.net moderator)
2. Andrea Jensen, CHES, AE-C
 <inline-mention username="tony retired eng" user-id="5449412"/> Hello there. It is frustrating to see wrong depictions in movies! Not only myths about food allergies and how to treat them. But also asthma attacks. Sounds like we both have allergies, food allergies and asthma. And your daughter inherited your allergic tendency. I have 3 adult children, and they all inherited my allergies and asthma. And one has a food allergy to tree nuts. I have an adult onset seafood allergy. Which is fine - seafood doesn't like me and I don't like it! I carry two epinephrine auto-injectors everywhere I go! Does your daughter have an Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Care Plan? This one is from FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education). https://www.foodallergy.org/living-food-allergies/food-allergy-essentials/food-allergy-anaphylaxis-emergency-care-plan Hopefully your doctor filled this out for your daughter so you have clear instructions of how to treat a food allergic reaction. I have been to many allergy & asthma medical conferences and it's interesting to see doctors argue about whether an allergic reaction should be treated with an antihistamine or epinephrine. LOL. True anaphylaxis always requires epinpherine, but it sounds like your daughter has a mild reaction to seafood. We also have nebulizers on each floor of our home, and a always pack our nebulizer when we travel. It's been on camping trips, to the Grand Canyon and Disneyland! We also have a car adapter. And I bought an inexpensive handheld unit to bring on on the plane and to conferences when I travel. Good luck with your daughter and keep those lungs breathing!
Michelle Hernandez Member
<inline-mention username="Andrea-Jensen" user-id="4554724"/>, I didn’t see this movie. But I agree that presenting allergies accurately in any medium is important.