18 August 2011

A Moment to Remember: Movie Review

Experience molds a human being, as it defines one’s purpose in life. It gives meaning to a person’s identity, his views in life and his relation with other people. These experiences are stored in one’s memory which tends to be remembered. Therefore, one’s memory is significant to life. In fact, it is a treasured possession that one would not want to lose. A person loves to reminisce past things that happened in his life, as happy thoughts and lessons learned.  However, the possibility of losing such memory comes unexpectedly to some. Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that can easily take one’s memories away causing pain to that person and also to his loved ones. How hard it will be to wake up every day and live life without remembering even the most valued persons in life as it is erased in one’s memory.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. The main risk factor for Alzheimer's disease is increased age. As a population ages, the frequency of Alzheimer's disease continues to increase. Ten percent of people over 65 years of age and 50% of those over 85 years of age have Alzheimer's disease. There are also genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Most patients develop Alzheimer's disease after age 70. However, 2%-5% of patients develop the disease in the fourth or fifth decade of life (40s or 50s).
Alzheimer’s disease has no cure but there are pharmacological treatments currently available used to manage the cognitive symptoms of it. They cannot stop the disease, but they can slow the progression of symptoms in some people, at least for a while. While drug therapy is important and beneficial, especially in early stages, the management of Alzheimer's has evolved to include non-pharmacological therapies as integral aspects of care.
A Korean movie entitled, “A Moment to Remember” depicts how a couple fought the reality of Alzheimer's disease.

The main characters in the film, Chul Soo and Su Jin met in a convenience store, where their love story started. Su Jin and Chul Soo was a happy couple. They lived and dreamt together. But as the film progresses, Su Jin had a difficulty remembering things, she displayed forgetfulness.
She consulted a medical doctor and discovered she has Alzheimer’s disease. Su Jin did not tell it to Chul Soo until he found out about it himself. Chul Soo went to the medical doctor and he confirmed that her wife has Alzheimer’s. It was difficult for them to accept that Su Jin’s memories will soon be fading and in time she will not even remember who Chul Soo is. Despite this, they managed to deal with the situation. Chul Soo took good care of her until Su Jin realized that she did not like to see Chul Soo suffer with her thus, she left him. Chul Soo looked for her; he did not give up on Su Jin until she found her in a hospital. Su Jin could not recognize who Chul Soo was.  Chul Soo just smiled and kept his tears behind his sunglasses. Thereafter he never left Su Jin, he was always beside her.

A Moment to Remember is an interesting film although its plotline has already been done in several movies. However the film is still convincing because the actors and actresses in the movie showcased a thorough and heartfelt performance. Son Ye Jin who played the role of Su Jin and Jung Woo Sung who portrayed Chul Soo justified their roles. Moreover, the sequencing of scenes was organized that engages with its audience. People can easily relate and understand the flow of the film.     
The “moment to remember” in the story is Chul Soo and Su Jin’s first meeting in fact, in the final part of the movie, Chul Soo replayed the minute they first met with all their friends and family together in the convenience store. This was important for them because it was the start of their great love for each other.
Indeed, the film showed that love prevails over one’s loss of memory. Chul Soo did not give up; he was devoted to Su Jin. He never left her despite the fact that she would not be able to recognize him anymore.
In addition, Su Jin will soon forget all her memories especially those with Chul Soo but the love they have will always be remembered. They proved that Alzheimer’s disease may take away one’s memories but it will never hinder one to express his unconditional love to someone.


References:
Retrieved August 7, 2011 http://www.medicinenet.com/alzheimers_disease_causes_stages_and_symptoms/discussion-423.htm
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