The depiction of Alzheimer's disease in films raises questions about its accuracy and responsibility in portraying a complex issue for entertainment purposes. This study delves into the balance between cinematic storytelling and factual representation, motivated by the influence of movies on public perception and understanding.
The investigation begins with two main drivers. Firstly, Alzheimer's disease is a significant societal concern, constituting a large portion of dementia cases worldwide and projected to increase. The linguistic aspects of Alzheimer's are particularly intriguing, yet not extensively explored. Secondly, a notable gap exists in research regarding how Alzheimer's-related language impairments are depicted in films, prompting an examination of their realism and adequacy.
This paper follows a structured approach, starting with an overview of Alzheimer's disease, its stages, symptoms, and linguistic implications. Understanding the connection between language and the brain sets the stage for analyzing cinematic representations effectively. The methodology section outlines the approach taken, including corpus compilation, research tools, and data analysis methods, essential for rigorously examining cinematic portrayals.
The core analysis focuses on selected films, exploring how they conceptualize and portray Alzheimer's-related linguistic challenges. These analyses are contextualized within the established framework, facilitating a nuanced understanding of the films' fidelity to reality. Subsequent discussions synthesize the findings, drawing comparisons and conclusions about the realism and adequacy of cinematic depictions.
In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of accurate representation in raising awareness and facilitating early detection of Alzheimer's disease. By examining the portrayal of neurological disorders in popular media, this research contributes to informed discourse and invites further exploration into cinematic depictions of complex issues.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Alzheimer’s Disease
2. 1 Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
2.2 Language and the Alzheimer’s Brain
2.3 Language Impairment
2.3.1 Word- Finding and Lexical Processing Problems
2.3.2 Understanding and Producing Language
2.3.3 Syntax
2.3.4 Discourse
3. Methodology and Data
3.1 Corpus Compilation
3.2 Research Tool
3.3 Methodological Approach and Data Analysis
3.4. Chances and Limitations
4. Data Analysis
4.1 Still Alice
4.1.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.1.2 Analysis
4.2 Iris
4.2.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.2.2 Analysis
4.3 The Father
4.3.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.3.2 Analysis
4.4 The Leisure Seeker
4.4.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.4.2 Analysis
4.5 Supernova
4.5.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.5.2 Analysis
4.6 Away from her
4.6.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.6.2 Analysis
4.7 What they had
4.7.1 Conceptualization of the film
4.7.2 Analysis
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion and Outlook
Research Objective and Core Topics
The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate how linguistic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are represented in contemporary films and to determine if these depictions are accurate according to clinical reality. The research focuses on the intersection of linguistic progression and cinematic storytelling to bridge existing gaps in media-based dementia research.
- Linguistic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (aphasia, lexical retrieval, syntax, and discourse).
- Cinematic representation of neurodegenerative disorders and their realism.
- Clinical progression stages according to the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS).
- Methodological analysis of qualitative discourse data in selected fiction films.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction
Alzheimer’s disease in film: reality or entertainment? This was the question I asked myself when thinking of the topic for my thesis. On the one hand, films are mirrors of social realities and therefore have the power to influence people’s opinions, knowledge and understanding of their main topics. This power comes with great responsibility, as the presented topics need to be portrayed adequately and thoroughly to avoid misinformation. However, “most of the time, movies and shows only depict stereotypes because they are on a time constrain and must get to the point of the story” (Thum 2021, 23). The power of the medium film and the fact that they stereotypically focus more on the plot than on accuracy is where the motivation to explore the extent of realism in films originated from.
On the other hand, the relevancy of Alzheimer’s disease was the second aspect of origin for this thesis, as Alzheimer’s disease currently accounts for 60- 80% of dementia cases worldwide (cf. Medina 2018, 6), making it the number one cause of dementia and a notable part of society, especially since the numbers are anticipated to exponentially rise over the next decade. The linguistics aspects of Alzheimer’s disease are of interest to me, as they are not fully explored yet and very complex.
Additionally, while researching these topics, it became apparent that there is a research gap regarding linguistic representation of Alzheimer’s disease and people living with the disorder in film. This was an additional motivator to conduct this research in an attempt to bridge the research gap and gain new knowledge of the extent to which linguistic representations can be found in film and the extent of adequate illustration.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the motivation behind the research, addressing the gap in understanding how film portrays linguistic impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease.
2. Alzheimer’s Disease: An overview of the medical background, current prevalence, clinical stages of progression, and specific neurological and linguistic impairments linked to the condition.
3. Methodology and Data: Describes the selection process for the film corpus and the development of a linguistic research tool based on standard diagnostic scales to evaluate the representations.
4. Data Analysis: A detailed evaluation of seven selected films, applying the research tool to analyze how accurately each film depicts the linguistic decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.
5. Discussion: Compares the synthesized results across all films to determine the overall accuracy of linguistic portrayals in cinema relative to clinical progression.
6. Conclusion and Outlook: Summarizes the main findings, emphasizing that while some films perform well, many struggle to realistically portray advanced linguistic decline.
Keywords
Alzheimer's Disease, Linguistic Impairments, Film Representation, Clinical Progression, Global Deterioration Scale, Lexical Retrieval, Discourse, Syntax, Dementia, Media Analysis, Qualitative Research, Language Deficits, Film Corpus, Neurodegeneration, Realistic Portrayal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of the thesis?
The thesis examines the extent to which linguistic symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are accurately represented in selected contemporary fiction films.
What are the central thematic fields?
The core themes include neurodegenerative discourse, the linguistics of dementia, and how popular film media influences the public perception of medical conditions.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if cinematographic representations of Alzheimer's patients match the actual, clinically defined progression of linguistic symptoms.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author uses a deductive qualitative approach, developing a specific research tool to encode linguistic data and compare it against clinical scales like the Global Deterioration Scale.
What does the main part cover?
The main part provides a robust theoretical framework (chapters 2 and 3) followed by systematic case studies of seven films (Still Alice, Iris, The Father, etc.) to evaluate their linguistic realism.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Alzheimer's Disease, Linguistic Impairments, Cinematic Realism, Global Deterioration Scale, and Qualitative Film Analysis.
Why is language impairment in dementia so complex?
As the author notes, language impairment parallels or follows memory loss, affecting multiple brain areas like the hippocampus, Broca's area, and Wernicke's area, making communication decline progressive and irreversible.
Does the author believe movies accurately portray the late stages of the disease?
Generally, no. The author concludes that most films focus on early-stage symptoms like word-finding difficulties but fail to realistically represent the severe loss of syntactic ability and total communicative breakdown seen in late-stage dementia.
- Quote paper
- Julia Niehaus (Author), 2023, Cinematic Portrayals of Alzheimer's Disease. Realism, Responsibility, and Representation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1442334
