Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company

King takes his camera inside a Jewish nursing home, and focuses on a group of residents with varying degrees of dementia and Alzheimer's. Although DYING AT GRACE deals with the end of life, I found this much more depressing. Perhaps too depressing, as these people struggle with their own lack of recall. When Claire repeatedly forgets that her best friend has died, she has to relive the sorrow of that discovery over and over again. The staff at the facility seem to be doing the best they can, but there is little you can do to alleviate the confusion and suffering of a deteriorating mind. There are some happy moments (Fay's unbridled joy over a visit from her son, who crassly boasts about the value of the watch he's gifted to her) but overall this was more uncomfortable than poignant. However, it left me with empathy for these people and their loved ones. I very much liked the social worker who the film seems to pivot around.