Film Analysis Essay on Still Alice: The Theme of Alzheimer's Disorder

Introduction

The film Still Alice is a modern psychology-centered film which showcases Alzheimer's disease, its effects, and the lives led by affected people. Alice, a university lecturer, is affected by the disease in her early fifties. A much-celebrated linguist professor succumbs to this disease and forgets words while in her lectures, is unable to offer focused and efficient lectures and thus gets fired. Alice lives in distress and has difficulties remembering even where she places her valuables. She forgets her children and cannot recall almost everything she knew. The character later grows suicidal and requires to be actively taken care of by a caregiver. The film actively casts the effects of Alzheimer's in a thoughtful way. Viewers can draw such a massive chunk of information regarding the psychological disorder from the film. However, the film makes an exaggeration of the disease making it look like total dementia and as a result of Alzheimer's disorder occurs so fast. It also make an overly high character dignity prevention which somehow makes the viewer not catch a clear glimpse of it. Nonetheless, Still Alice is a psychological and highly educative film that presents Alzheimer's disorder in a manner that the audience can relate it with normal life experiences.

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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain dysfunction where the brain cells degenerate and as such causes a steady memory decline over time. Alzheimer's disorder is a rather severe disorder which leads to a steady decline in mental functioning. Until now, no cure has been proven towards treating the disorder. Loss of intellectual skills and other pertinent skills for social existence are lost in the case of a person suffering from Alzheimer's disorder. They fail to remember simple things such as words, where they place their valuables and other pertinent things. In the long run, a person affected by the disorder will eventually lose their memory and may turn out suicidal (Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD, 2014). The film makes a good view of the disease as all these factors are displayed across the film.

At the start of the film, Alice is a rather dedicated professor whose skills are undoubted. She is a perfected linguist who is an asset to the university. Just after her fiftieth birthday, she starts developing some loss of memory and forgets simple things like words. In a rather effective manner, the film makes a huge meaning of this setting in a manner that shocks the audience. Most people who do not know about the disorder may never expect that one would forget simple things like words that they have been used to. The film thus creates an unexpected occurrence that makes the viewers want to know more about the disorder. In any case, the viewers are informed that Alzheimer's disease is highly prevalent in individuals who have hit the age of fifty (Tong, Fong & Huang, 2015). Quite informative is that even the most intelligent people such as professors are themselves not immune to the disease.

People who have the Alzheimer's disorder display a range of symptom inclusive of social withdrawal, distrust, changes in sleeping patters and irritability (Louveau, Da Mesquita & Kipnis, 2016). Alice is in an exemplar way made to fit into a person that has some of these symptoms. For instance, she lacks sleep and has to survive on her sleeping pills. Alice has trust issues and makes a video which she believes will be helping her remember the time that she should swallow the pills. The film makes all this display in her bedroom which shows a highly destructive disease that turns an individual into a slave of self (Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD, 2014). For instance, Alice a once prominent professor now leads rather a hard life where she relies on pills in order to sleep.

Loss of memory in the case of Alzheimer's disorder or is rampant and affected individuals fail to locate their valuables after using them. When Alice is fired from the university, she spends most of her time alone. Her phone is her only companion and hence could be said to be her valuable. She, however, loses it and looks for it everywhere without finding it. She loses it for a week and thinks that she just lost if for a day. The depths of forgetting even your own valuables are rampant in the case of dementia. In a rather proactive manner, the film makes the impression of a person who is used to their phone since they spend most of the time with it. Furthermore, a complete lack of concentration and interest is displayed when Alice loses her phone (Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD, 2014). This part is itself a point of interest in the film. Though sounding naive; the viewers are made to reflect on an individual who in her fifties leaves her phone in the fridge for a week. The film, therefore, drives in a very prominent point in the cast.

The film pushes a serious observation that the audience needs to understand in regard to instilling caregivers for people who are Alzheimer's disorder affected. Once one acquires the disorder, they are unable to do most basic things on their own. They are not likely to take their food in time or do normal chores. As such, they end up depressed, and their general health may deteriorate instrumentally (Tong, Fong & Huang, 2015). In the event that such people live alone, they may turnout suicidal just like Alice turns when she makes a video call with Janet. She prepares herself for suicide and even assembles the pills she should use. Just before she takes the bills, a dramatic scene is presented whereby her caregiver comes in distracting her from taking the pills. The film, therefore, makes a display of a rather depressing disease whereby caregivers need to be instilled in order to regularly check the patients. The significance of this necessity is brought out is quite dramatic which makes the film an excellent production.

On the other hand, it is good to observe that the film presents the disorder as taking control of the human mind drastically. The disorder, however, is not that fast as it is presented in the film. The film showcases a woman whom in one year turns from a dedicated professor to an individual who remembers nothing she knew and even wants to commit suicide. The progressive aspect of the disorder is nonetheless not presented in the film. The viewer, therefore, lacks the most educative aspect of the disease in terms of its progression (Louveau, Da Mesquita & Kipnis, 2016). The disorder escalates in rather slow manner and presenting it as one that changes a victim to a complete memory loss in such a short amount of time which is not an actual case.

The film also makes a technical error by covering the victim in a cloud of dignity thus not showcasing the exact things she does. The film carries the perception of woman who even after developing Alzheimer's disorder goes on with her earlier formalities and speaks in an official and sober manner. It is however not the case for people who are affected by the disorder. Such people are likely to be more vulgar, distressed and not communicative (Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD, 2014). The film, however, shows Alice as having dignity and overwhelming morality. This is one subject that makes the viewer's doubt the intensity of the disorder if at all people maintained their dignity. The overly huge protection of the character's dignity makes the film rather plain even when it should express the disease in its exact plight.

Conclusion

The film Still Alice is a highly psychology based film that seeks to show the life of people who are Alzheimer's disorder affected. The film which concentrates on Alice, an established professor, loses her job and grows into a weird character presents in an awe-inspiring manner, the extent to which the disorder affects people. Various issues about the disease inclusive of memory lapse, change of sleeping patterns, losing valuables and forgetting words and people are made very clear by the film. However, the film has a few discrepancies such as dignity protection of the character in a big way and also the presentation of the disorder as one that escalates too fast. On a general basis, however, the film meets the audience in an understandable manner and educates them much about the Alzheimer's disorder.

References

Louveau, A., Da Mesquita, S., & Kipnis, J. (2016). Lymphatics in neurological disorders: a neuro-lympho-vascular component of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease?. Neuron, 91(5), 957-973.

Still Alice Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth Drama HD [Video file]. (2014, December 10). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrXrZ5iiR0oTong, L. M., Fong, H., & Huang, Y. (2015). Stem cell therapy for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders: current status and future perspectives. Experimental & molecular medicine, 47(3), e151.