One of the most tragic and gorgeous documentaries I've seen in a long time. Got so upset halfway through this that I ed out into a nap then woke up and had to finish this. Pauli is one of most beautiful people ever. The way she cares for him constantly is so breathtaking. Alzheimer's is really such a horrifying disease. He can't even recognize his own reflection at times. It's so heartbreaking when he pleads with her to go home, when he is already home. I think this is such an important documentary not only because it documents this disease in such a realistic way, but also because we live in a society that fears and rejects aging. Growing old is inevitable: we can't escape it. I think a lot of times the sick and elderly are hidden away because they remind us of our mortality, and that's terribly sad. I can't imagine poor Pauli's exhaustion and loneliness at watching the man she loves lose his spark. This made me think about marriage, but also my father, who's aging rapidly and depends on me more and more. I'll it that I'm often exhausted when he reaches out. He needs me more now, but I need him less and within this conflict lies so much tension, it really weighs on me. How do I be there for him while also living my own life?

There's also really interesting tension in this documentary politically and culturally. The desaparecidos in Chile are referenced at one point, since Augusto was a journalist who covered this time in history. This is a culture rooted in memory or ing, so Augusto's memory loss takes on an especially tragic air. He was the nation's eyes and ears at one point. Now, he forgets how to shower.

I think there's also something to be said about the power of art not only to bare witness but as a necessary defense against the horrors of the world. Augusto is losing his memory, but at least the memory of him will not be lost.

Oh! I forgot that there's this very sweet moment where he sniffs all his books because he really likes them and he thinks sniffing them will help him all their different plots(: