(17/03) Re.: Still Alice- book and movie

The book asks the question, where does love reside, in the heart or in the brain? I fear the truth for then I may lose it.

This subtle nod to the shakespearean line brings it new meaning, the context of Alzheimer's changes it from a love struck teenager to a more existential worry that induces fear. This has helped me with what I want to do with text. I have been taking terms that in a modern day context could be inspirational or motivating or a simple turn of phrase but change with the context of Alzheimer's, such as mind over matter, and i'd lose my head if it wasn't attached. As they are given a more sinister internment with the new context.

What I found as the most impactful scene of the movie which does borrow from the book but not word for word. Alice an individual who has always prided herself on her intellect is asked to speak on her experience with Alzheimer's. But now she is not what she was, she has changed because of this disease so she fears not living up to her potential because of it. As a result the scene is charged with tension, with fear of failure, the shots switching from uncomfortably close to Alice to metres away, spliced with shots of an unknown audience. The impact emotionally is unsettling. But she finds herself assured in a memory technique, going over the lines she's reading with a highlighter so she never loses her place.

I have been documenting the language used around Alzheimers and I found the irony in “live in the moment” an amusing light note to a very heavy topic that is usually approached with a lot of caution and sensitivity. Also the truth it speaks to the situation. You have no choice but to live in the moment because it is all you have, when the future is as ever uncertain as it always is and your past is no longer there.

‘Still Alice‘ is the most recognisable depiction of Alzheimers in the public eye, partially responsible for the prolific advertising of the movie. It has also resonated with audience whether they had Alzheimer’s or not. Part of me wonders if it because the protagonist is significantly younger then most individuals who get Alzheimers and so is more identifiable with then other characters would be. What does that say about society and it’s consideration of old people if that is the case. Alice is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer‘s and in spite of it being well presenting of all the stages one faces when they get the disease it occurs at a much more accelerated rate because of movie reasons. i.e not needing to age up the actress and the time frame duration of a movie. It is a strange thing that the aging process, different to Alzheimers but relevant to why it may not hold a younger audiences attention, is something we shy away from, death also, given it is a universal common ground, as bleak as it may seem.

Its also important to note that Alice gets diagnosed with the more rare early onset Alzheimers which is triggered with rarer still genetics. This is one of the only instances in which your daily life beforehand couldn't have made much of an impact on whether you got the disease. People may take the wrong message from this as there are most definitely steps you can take in your everyday life to prevent the beginnings of Alzheimers. That even if you are genetically dispositioned to get Alzheimer's you can still prevent it for a very long time.