Purpose
Traditional in-class clinical case studies, while effective, often lack engagement and memorability, making it challenging for medical students to retain complex medical information. This study introduces a novel Cinematic Clinical Narrative (CCN), an innovative educational tool combining clinical cases with storytelling techniques from movies or TV shows. The CCN “Alien: Parasites Within,” a fictional sequel to Alien, was developed to teach antimalarial medications through an engaging, mnemonic-driven short animated film featuring characters portrayed as George Clooney and Rebel Wilson, both of whom have experienced malaria infection.

Methods
The CCN was created using a suite of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools for scriptwriting, character and set design, animation, music, sound effects, and dialogue. It incorporated multiple visual and auditory mnemonics to teach topics such as antimalarial mechanisms and clinical scenarios. First-year medical students viewed the CCN as part of their antimalarial pharmacology curriculum and were surveyed using the Situational Interest Survey for Multimedia (SIS-M) to assess preference and engagement compared to traditional lecture-based cases. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses explored reasons for preferences.

Results
SIS-M scores (1 to 5) demonstrated significantly higher triggered interest (+0.99, p <0.0001) and maintained interest (+0.18, p <0.0001) for the CCN compared to traditional cases. Participants highlighted the CCN’s use of storytelling, mnemonics, and immersive visuals as factors enhancing understanding and retention of complex concepts. Thematically, respondents emphasized the CCN’s ability to simplify challenging material and create a memorable learning experience.

Conclusions
Cinematic Clinical Narratives provide a compelling alternative to traditional case-based learning, combining storytelling and genAI to enhance engagement and retention. The “Alien: Parasites Within” CCN effectively utilized multimedia mnemonics to make antimalarial pharmacology accessible and memorable. This study supports the integration of CCNs into medical education to address cognitive overload and improve learning outcomes in complex medical topics.