"Iris" and Alzheimer's

Paper Summary:

This paper is discusses the film, "Iris," directed by Richard Eyre. The film is based on the life of British writer Iris Murdoch, who descended into Alzheimer's disease and finally died of the disease in 1999. In particular, the paper summarizes the material in the film and evaluates the accuracy of the observations based on research. It shows how Alzheimer's Disease is more than simply forgetting where you put your car keys, as the film vividly portrays, and how although it is not always easy to watch, it is a startling portrayal of the progression of Alzheimer's, so much so that many Alzheimer's groups embraced the film, hoping it would enlighten viewers to the real world of the Alzheimer patient.

From the Paper:

"As the film progresses, Iris has more and more memory "blips," which illustrate the continuing degradation of her mind, and the stunning progression of the disease. She repeats herself at a lecture. Her mind goes blank during a television interview. As the disease progresses, the incidents get worse, just as they do in real life. She falls out of a moving car. In the doctor's office, she cannot remember who the Prime Minister is. It's amusing when she says "It doesn't matter. Someone will know," ("Iris"), but its also tragic to see this "beautiful mind" so ravaged by this disease. Experts who have studied the disease talk about how the disease limits your world."

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