THE UNLONELY FILM FESTIVAL: BEST OF FEST
Dotty
Set in a nursing facility, this film –Dotty- shows the frustrations involved in caring for someone who has a memory impairment –particularly when that person is a close family member. This film gives a great depiction of how much patience is needed while caregiving and how exhausting it can be
Consider This
Watch this video to explore the film’s meaning and major themes a bit more. Talking with others about a shared arts experience can enrich our perspectives. Share your thoughts in the comment section, below!
Meet the Filmmaker
Mick Andrews has worked in TV and film in both New Zealand and the UK for almost 20 years. His recent work includes two short documentaries currently playing at film festivals. He loves using film to tell stories with a heartbeat. Brett O’Gorman’s background is in acting and music. Brett has played many roles on both stage and screen including Sir David Frost in the UK Telefeature about Peter Cook, Not Only, But Always.
my memories are good. my Dad used to take me everywhere he went and bought me what i want most of the times
Halfway towards the end, when the younger woman looked at Dotty as she read the text to send to her daughter I realized that her Daughter was the woman helping her, this film made me happy and sad at the same time, happy because Dotty had not forgotten the love she had for her daughter, which allowed her daughter to see how much her mother loves her, but sad because she didn’t know that her daughter was sitting right next to her, Alzheimer’s may rob people of ( memory of) the faces of their loved ones, but It cannot rob them of the love for them
This film made me happy and sad at the same time; happy because Alzheimer’s could not make Dotty’s heart forget the love she had for daughter, but that it did her being able to recognize her. I realized it her daughter Carol was woman helping her text when she looked at looked at her while reading the text, powerful teaching moment for her daughter, who initially was in a hurry, to be patient with her mother because in the end all her mother wanted was to express to her daughter was how much she was thinking about her.
Watching this video made me realize I need to have more patients when dealing with my husband who has MS, and sometimes even with my kids while explaining things to them. This daughter and mom connection really touched my heart!
This was painful to watch. Worried this might be me one day. Interesting contrast to the last film I watched— I forgot my phone. God bless her caregiver. I hope Dotty’s daughter really is coming to visit.
Wow, this was so sad.
Heartbreaking to see a loved one with Alzheimer’s- what amazing patience and love she showed her.
This was so sad. It was great to see how calm and understanding her daughter was.
Very powerful. I had a father who suffered from Alzheimer’s, hadn’t gotten to this stage yet – but in the end would not use our names as much. Very sad, and at the same time a point of action. Volunteer in the Alzheimer’s Walk in your area. Contribute to Alzheimer’s research. The stats on how many people will be affected by Dementia/Alzheimer’s in the next 20-30 years are staggering. Thanks for everyone who put this short piece together!
Wonderful to see her reaction when it all worked out. Amazing!
Wonderful to see her reaction when it worked out.
Memory loss in the elderly is a sad thing. I am very empathetic.
Such a terrible disease.
This level of patience is not easy to come by unfortunately. The demands and caseloads of professional caregivers can become emotionally and physically taxing. We have such high expectations for caregiving, but we also need to really invest in the well being of all caregivers if we want to be able to rely on a village to support our aging population and their families.