Geeta Lal Sahai's challenging and nuanced "I Remember" is sure to cut close to the bone for those who have had loved ones ravaged by the unrelenting monster that is Alzheimer's disease. This engrossing and necessary film strips away the veneer of Hollywood's more high gloss depictions of dementia's progression (see: "The Notebook (2004)") by very honestly portraying each acute stage of deterioration and their brutal impacts on family.
Shot in Sahai's homeland of India, "I Remember" tracks a woman barely of middle age as she manifests signs of the disease's early onset: She forgets about her award function at work; items end up in the washing machine that shouldn't have made it there. Throughout, Sahai's dialogue is exceedingly truthful, empowering an elite performance from Gayatri Sharma as the afflicted mother and working professional. With a clearly felt understanding of her subject matter, Sharma's manifestation of initial self-concern gives way to mounting fear and bewilderment; by the film's end, her projections of blank disassociation -- witnessed as heartbroken family members facilitate her most basic tasks -- is as difficult to watch as it is compelling.
Spoiler alert: There is no happy ending to "I Remember," as there's never a happy ending to Alzheimer's and dementia. This feels like a very personal film for director Sahari, yet with the disease impacting 47.5 million people worldwide, it tragically commands an audience all too universal in scope. Highly recommended. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)
Shot in Sahai's homeland of India, "I Remember" tracks a woman barely of middle age as she manifests signs of the disease's early onset: She forgets about her award function at work; items end up in the washing machine that shouldn't have made it there. Throughout, Sahai's dialogue is exceedingly truthful, empowering an elite performance from Gayatri Sharma as the afflicted mother and working professional. With a clearly felt understanding of her subject matter, Sharma's manifestation of initial self-concern gives way to mounting fear and bewilderment; by the film's end, her projections of blank disassociation -- witnessed as heartbroken family members facilitate her most basic tasks -- is as difficult to watch as it is compelling.
Spoiler alert: There is no happy ending to "I Remember," as there's never a happy ending to Alzheimer's and dementia. This feels like a very personal film for director Sahari, yet with the disease impacting 47.5 million people worldwide, it tragically commands an audience all too universal in scope. Highly recommended. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)