What They Had

The Universe brought me this film on a flight from San Diego to Dallas on my way to visit my 90+ year old parents downstate Illinois. My Mother had been in the hospital, and my Dad requested my assistance. What a blessing to bring my Mother home the next day. She suffers from dementia. They too live in the same house and it is the issue for my Dad and brother who lives in town and usually cares for them. Superb acting from all, as expected. Chicago in winter spectacular. I was lucky. I needed this now, as would anyone in the similar situation.

This disease affect directly or indirectly every person an planet earth. either you have it, or in your family,or in your neighbourhood or you work with them like i do, its like an everlasting earthquake to experience.this film tells a very well structured story about a woman with dementia, though not too seriously beaten yet, i guess on 15-25 on the mmst scale, about her loving husband and their children and grandchildren. reminisence are a keyword to the story, and it reminds me a lot of how it was when my dad and granddad went through a very fast development of the disease, and how responsibilities fell on the one living nearest and how that damaged a lot of our family dynamics. i shall admit that i was not the nearest to my dad neither in distance or true relations,and backed out rather quikly, but thats another story....

what i miss in these kinda movies is the lack of fun, because there are actually a huge amount of comic situations when caring for my own, but especially when working with old demented persons. what i can say is that they are as different as fingerprints, there are no fasit whats correct,so there are many walls to smash your head against believe me.

i like the acting ,its not overexhaggerated,just very truthfull. the music and filmography are very nice. the start sequence when mum walks away in the snow are just beautiful.

i give it an eight,you may give a star too cause its recommended

What I had (ha-ha), was some time to kill before going to a screening of Wildlife yesterday so I decided to squeeze this film in before the showing. Saw the trailer for this and it looked pretty standard but I'm always game for films that depict mental health and the impact it has on others. The film also boasts a really wonderful cast and I had to think that the film would at the very least halfway decent. Its more than decent, I actually had a good time with this. It mixes a bevy of emotions but hits exactly the right notes when it needs to.

The film is about two children who come together with their mom and dad around the holidays. Their mom is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and its tough for her to remember her own children and her husband. The family have a lot of issues to resolve as they clash heads on what to do with their mother and their unspoken issues with their hard headed father. The film stars Hilary Swank, Robert Forster, Taissa Farmiga, Blythe Danner, and of course Michael Shannon in one of my favorite performances he's ever done.

The film is actually hilarious in many parts, especially through Michael Shannon. He plays a dead pan sarcastic brother/uncle and his comments made my day. There's just a good deal of humor involving the characters despite the film being emotionally heavy as it deals with a disease that impacts a family so greatly. As expected, the talented cast is perfect in this film. Forster and Swank in particular really showcase their talents. Even Blythe Danner playing the mom; she's always so happy and cheery despite the fact that she can hardly remember anything.

I think I'm most impressed by Elizabeth Chomko's script. It balances everything well. The script is simple but has a lot of heart and dimension to it. This isn't a film that's going to get a lot of buzz as it came out very limited, but I think its a very enjoyable effort. If you're a lover of film and have some time to kill, go for it. Its not an essential watch but go see the character and family dynamics on display here.

7.5/10

This film tells the story of a family struggling to cope with the impact of dementia.

The poster makes me think it's a romantic comedy, but it is almost the polar opposite of that. It is quite a sad story because it tells a heart wrenching story. The portrayal of dementia is brutally realistic. It is sad to watch, and it will touch many viewers for sure.

Having lived this life with my Mother, it hits close to home. My Mother was diagnosed with dementia back in 2008. This movie brings it all back. My Father was relatively healthy up till the end in 2010. My Mother on the other hand became lost in her own thoughts. Not knowing us kids and I would love to think she still recognized my Father. My Mother passed in November of 2010 and my Father in June of 2010. I remember my Dad saying that once my Mom went into the dementia/alzheimer care ward, he felt like it was as lonely as when he was in the Navy back during WWII. He never recovered and died broken hearted. This movie hits home. You can try to hold out. You can try to care for your loved one but, once the veil cover the mind, it's just sad beyond words. I talked more at my Mothers funeral than I could while she was alive. The disease just drains the individual and caretakers and devastates the loving people around them. Very sad movie. Having lived this it does strike a nerve and a lot more. I think the only take away is this, love the people around you and don't let go no matter how hard it gets.