Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory

What if there were a truly inexpensive way to materially improve the lives of Alzheimer's sufferers and those who have other forms of dementia? If you see "Alive Inside," you will discover that there is such a thing. All it takes is an Apple iPod and the right music--music from the person's past. The music makes a connection with portions of the brain least ravaged by neurological disorders and it connects with the person that's still alive inside. Really alive.

This film shows you the proof, over and over again. The demonstration of the power of music from a person's past being able to bring the person into the present seems irrefutable. It is miraculous but you won't believe unless you see the film.

To think that a $40 music player and headphones can do what drugs cannot is mindblowing. The music doesn't necessarily extend a person's life the way drugs do, but it does awaken the person. Patient after patient shown in this movie awakens as the camera watches. The effects and the repeatability are positively stunning.

This film is about to go into limited distribution. It will be showing in San Jose at the Camera 7 theater starting August 8. Please find a way to see this film. It will change lives.

We saw this movie as part of the San Jose Camera Cinema Club and it was one of the most moving films we've seen through this organization.

How many times does one visit the nursing home? Feed the hungry? Or volunteer in any other way? It's an act of caring and giving that takes a lot to stomach. Many people these days, including myself try not to pay attention to these things because of how uncomfortable it is visually and physically see right in front of us. It's a quiet pity that we all hold and tend to push to the back of our minds. Hoping that all of our other daily tasks can distract us from such awkwardness. In some ways it's almost like today's generation is too embarrassed to acknowledge the issues and don't expect it to happen in our lifetime. When in fact, this is the exact opposite.

Now that's not to say when we get older, we will all develop alzheimer's and be put in nursing homes, but it's important to understand that it's also not the most uncommon of diseases like vitiligo or polio. Alzheimer's affects numerous elderly individuals and once it's diagnosed, there really isn't anything anyone can do from stopping it. However, one man has found a remedy to help slow it down, along with exposing various aspects of today's healthcare system. Dan Cohen (a public social worker) and filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett team up in this stunning documentary about how bringing music to alzheimer's patients can help bring back some, if not most of the life and soul of what used to be the youth of the early to mid 1900s.

There really isn't much to dispute about here. Both the writer/director and social worker duo demonstrate the power of music simply by putting headphones on the older folk. To watch them go from slumped over and quiet or mumbling to bouncing around and crying or laughing is astonishing. The results are phenomenal and it's quite honestly baffling because how come no one had ever thought of doing this before? You didn't even need iPods to figure this out; someone back in the late 1990s could have tried this with Walkmans or portable CD players. It all seems so obvious now and it's weird that no one considered this as a type of therapy. I mean, there are therapy dogs and other types of animals that are used to help jog patients' memories, so why not music? It's better than just feeding them pills and vitamins constantly everyday. Where's the enjoyment in that?

Perhaps the strangest thing of all is that even with all the positive results, the film crew displays continuous rejections from top authority figures in the healthcare system. It's tragic because who would deny such optimistic opportunities? Viewers should not only get a kick out of the end result to these amazing transformations but also how this particular story unfolds. The way this documentary is told, is by looking through the eyes of Dan Cohen when he first started trying this particular study. As time plays out, the viewer will see the struggles he had to face, the turndowns and even the surprises. An example of this would be how this particular film came to light. All it needed was to be released onto the internet and it got people motivated. I didn't even know about this until a friend of mine who plays in a group shared the link.

Another thing to think about are the possible futures that lie ahead for the currently old and the one's who will become old. Michael Rossato- Bennett brings into play how the number of elderly people have increased over time and if it continues at the same rate, there will be less supplies available to take care of them. It's a grim outlook if things aren't looked at carefully. As for the actual quality of filmmaking, it looks very good. Itaal Shur's musical composition perfectly blends in raw emotion and tenderness for each scene. Shachar Langlev's cinematography shows many POV shots giving viewers an idea of how bland and lifeless a nursing home looks like no matter how friendly the people who work there are.

This is perhaps the only drawback to this involving movie. It is a tad one-sided (although rightfully so for everything explained prior). But there are some things that aren't explored. For one, has there ever been a patient that was not willing to listen to music? Or has there ever been a patient willing to listen but it did not have the positive effect it had on so many others? These special scenarios would've been interesting to see as well. What would Dan Cohen's next step be to counter such a roadblock? These kinds of questions are important. Perhaps with a little more running time, the crew could have added that to this production. It is a very intellectual film that any viewer should watch because at some point, everyone gets old and just like Dennis Haysbert would ask from Allstate - "Are you in good hands"?

Aside from being a bit one-sided, this documentary explores the alternate avenue of fighting alzheimer's with the power of music. The provided information, music, patients and emotion are all authentic and it is exactly what makes this so uplifting to see.

Let me start by saying that I do not doubt that some people have extraordinary reactions to being played music - especially when they have been deprived of it for many years.

There is certainly a magic to music that we all feel, but that is impossible to describe.

However, this film is extremely simplistic. First, it would have you believe that this man made some never-before-made discovery about how music can affect people, including the elderly who suffer from dementia. Of course that's not true in the least. We - as humankind - have always known this. Perhaps some people never consciously paid attention to it, or perhaps just the aspect of how it affects the elderly is something that they hadn't considered before.

Then this film seems to imply that music will work wonders on everyone. At one point it even suggests that you won't need medication if you've just got music. Heck, one woman was able to stay at home instead of having to go into long term care thanks to music therapy. I'm sorry, but these are not just crazy, but very careless and damaging claims to be making. Again, I do not doubt that music might be helping THIS ONE, SPECIFIC person. But that's not something that can be extrapolated onto all other people. By making outlandish claims like this, one diminishes the hardships that caregivers go through, because clearly they're just not playing their loved ones the right music. Or enough of it. Right? If music is a magic pill, then it must be the caregivers fault that the person they are caring for isn't dancing with joy all day long. Caregiving is hard enough, and this film just gives outsiders one more excuse to judge and blame them. One more thing to ask "have you tried music therapy? I saw a film about it, and it works like magic!". As if caregivers aren't already inundated with enough unsolicited "helpful advice".

Also, medication absolutely has its place in the management of dementia symptoms. No, they cannot cure dementia, but they can help ameliorate symptoms such as agitation and aggression, which often come with dementia.

My mother lived for music. She wanted to become a professional singer, but that wasn't a realistic dream for her. Still, she would play the piano and sing her heart out at home, as well as singing in a choir that toured the country. When she developed dementia, she stopped caring about music (the same way she stopped caring about her family and friends, the family pets...). At some point it was just noise to her, and she would get angry if we put music on, even if it was her favourite songs. She became agitated and even aggressive at times. Thankfully, we found a medication that helped calm her down, without really sedating her. I'm not saying everything in the film is a lie, and my mother's experience is the truth. I'm just saying that everyone's experience is different, and showing only the most extremely positive cases is misleading and disingenuous.

My mother lived in a long term care facility for the last months of her life. We visited every single day. Sometimes twice a day. We spent time not just with her, but also with the other residents. I still volunteer there. They have various music programs, both for individuals, and in a group setting. Yes, there are a few that will immediately start tapping their feet, or humming along. One lady loves singing at the top of her voice. But they are in the minority. The majority don't react at all. And it's not because they're overmedicated, either, because this facility will try to take residents off medications rather than putting them on then.

Don't take my word for it, either. Volunteer at a long term care facility and find out for yourself. It will be a blessing to those residents to get some additional attention. But most likely, it will be an even bigger blessing to you.

We need music. That's the message you are going to get from this documentary. And very few are as eye opening as "Alive inside" which takes us into the world of nursing homes in the US. It's easy to forget that there are millions of people living alone with no relatives to pay them a visit. We go on with our daily lives and spend more time talking to strangers on social medias than actually doing something for real people who are there and need us. The scary thing, it's that it might very likely be the way we end up ourselves: sat on a chair in a nursing home while contemplating yet again a plain wall for hours.

What Dan (the protagonist of this documentary) sets to do is to show the power of alternative therapies for people with Dementia, or simply people who have forgotten all about their lives. And his soothing therapy couldn't be simpler: Music! That's right! nothing else. We see the residents of these nursing homes with broken spirits, unable to articulate a sentence, incapable of remember any details from the past. Surprisingly, the moment they are exposed to music, memories come back to them. A spark lightens up in their eyes, they even dance, and start talking more than they ever did. Music makes them cry, laugh, jump. As one of them says: "It makes me feel like I have a girl and I can hug her".

How can music be so powerful? some bits are explained in the documentary, so I hope you will find the time to watch it. While it might not be the best edited piece of film making around, for the sake of its content, you should definitely give it go!

I had the privilege to see this at the Sundance Film Festival. It was the most memorable film experience of my life.

It will change the way you view the elderly and those with dementia. In shows that in the midst of what seems to be the overwhelming burden of the memory loss of dementia, there is still the hidden spark of who the person was and is. This spark is revealed as these elders hear the music of their lives. It is truly amazing to see people re-enlivened and joyful.

As a part of the Sundance experience we were able to have a question and answer with the director. It was evident that this film was made because he discovered something amazing and had to share it. This has the potential to change the lives of millions of elders. Truly the best of what indie films are about!