Aphasia (2010)

Aphasia tells the story of actor Carl McIntyre, who survived a massive stroke in 2005 and lost his ability to read, write and speak. Prior to the stroke Carl was a successful film, television and stage actor. The language difficulties he now experiences as a man with aphasia have been an obvious obstacle to that career, but they do not interfere with Carl’s ability to portray human emotions and interactions. In Aphasia, Carl stars as himself and portrays his life story with an incredibly nuanced performance. Told from Carl’s perspective, “Aphasia” chronicles the terrifying moments of the stroke, his exhaustive and frustrating efforts to relearn his body parts and simple words, the impact his condition has on his wife, children and friends, and his sometimes humorous, sometimes painful encounters with a world that doesn’t understand why he can’t just say what he means. Through humor and pathos Aphasia speaks to anyone who has struggled to meet life's daunting challenges.