En sång för Martin

A story about deep love and how it can overcome any obstacle. Barbara's and Martin's love is put to the test when their doctor diagnose Martin with Alzheimer's disease. For Martin, as a famous composer, it gets more and more difficult to finish an opera due to his sickness, which also strains his relationship with his wife Barbara. Her love and constant reminiscence of their past makes her treat him as fully healthy for much too long.

Both Viveka Seldahl as Barbara and Sven Wollter as Martin are making a wonderful performance in the leading roles. Seldahl is able to use her face the show any kind of expression as the disease turns her beloved husband from a hardworking composer to a bedridden hospital patient. It is nice to finally see her in a leading role. And Wollter is thoroughly credible as the man suffering from a disease that slowly but surely will take his senses from him. We as the audience should ask ourselves if the man finally admitted to hospital is the same man Barbara married. The tragedy of Alzheimer's disease face us with a question if somebody's personality has something innate that will withstand loss of memory or dementia. To Barbara, at least, it is clear that Martin's illness does not change what she feels for her husband: love.

Also worth accolades is the beautiful score by Stefan Nilsson.

It is my understanding that when a man and a woman get married, it is because they love one another and promise to be loyal and faithful. Despite the fact that many marriages are no such thing, it is wonderful to see a film that convinces you that it is possible to love someone so much that no amount of adversity can destroy it.

That is the essence of this film. It is true that we learn a great deal about a horrible disease, but, more importantly, we learn what true love is. The drama in this film really takes place in the mind and the heart of Barbara, the wife. She must face the changes in her life from the joy of finding true love in her life after a difficult marriage to a life of dealing with a sick husband. We see her, painstakingly, deal with change after change and sometimes she breaks down because of the enormity of the challenge.

The second lesson we learn in this film is that love brings a real sense of perseverance. Caring for a sick husband is really no different than caring for a child. A mother normally does not lose her love for the child because he or she acts like a child, but, rather, she perseveres because of pure and simple love.

I do not have sufficient words to express the beauty of this film. It rings true.

(2001) A Song For Martin/ En sång för Martin (In Swedish with English subtitles) DRAMA

Co-written, co-produced and directed by Bille August with senior violinist, Barbara (Viveka Seldahl) and music composer/ conductor Martin choosing to leave their long time potential spouses to marry each other, and it isn't long "Martin" the title of the movie is referring to, begins to show some of the first signs of alzheimer's, forcing Barbara's hand to make adjustments.

"A Song for Martin" may be the first movie that addresses alzheimer's but it's not the best to address the problem as I thought "Away From Her" was far superior as it does not let the character who suffers from the disease continue to humiliate himself on front of people, for it's already bad enough that he suffers from it.

A film to learn from - in many, many ways. And a difficult film to watch. It moved me a lot. More shocking than any thriller. It reminds me of my own great fear of getting ill in this way. Or my wife for that matter. Terrible. And must terrible is, that this disease makes you another person - and you can't do anything in order to prevent it - besides living in perfect harmony.

The actors were great. And the music. And the nice pictures from the seaside, where the couple lived.

Just one (big) complain: The symbol in the end is too heavy and spoiling. Her life must go on: she starts the clock again. Come on ...

I am quite familiar with Alzheimer's Disease. Both my mother and grandmother had it. To me this movie shows that love is useless when it comes to Alzheimers. Eventually the sufferer forgets everything.

While a respectable movie, it is not exactly dramatic or innovative. I felt that I was being told something that I not only already knew, but had lived through twice already and probably will go through myself.

However, I was interested in how the Swedes care for Alzheimer's patients. At least Martin didn't have to die in the horrible nursing home that my mother lived and died in. It helps to have money and socialized medicine, I guess. Do you think I can immigrate to Northern Europe before I get the disease?