Elizabeth Is Missing

Elizabeth Is Missing (2019) marks a triumphant return before the cameras for Glenda Jackson, whose last filmed work was done in 1992. The story has Jackson as a woman in the early stages of dementia who is determined to solve the mystery of the disappearance of her friend Elizabeth. Her memory is triggered by objects and music and bits of things that cause to flash back 70 years to the disappearance of her sister. While the two things seem connected to her, to her family she is babbling incoherently. She is dismissed as a senile old woman, but she knows the clues add up. She has all the clues because they're all written down on bits of paper. She also knows she hasn't much time left.

After decades in politics, Jackson returned to acting a few years ago, and she's had major success on the London and New York stages, but this is her first filmed work since her return. At 83, she is still formidable , and she is superb in this TV movie.

Glenda Jackson makes her return to screen acting after 27 years. During that time she became an elected Labour MP and Minister of State for Transport.

It is easy to dismiss this as a drama of an old woman with advancing dementia. Elizabeth is Missing shares somewhat with Christopher Nolan's Memento. Maud is suffering from dementia. The missing memories means she has no idea as to what has happened to her friend Elizabeth.

Maud's search for Elizabeth also unlocks deeply buried memories of another mystery in Maud's past. That of her older sister who has been missing since 1949.

As the drama goes on, I sort of guessed what may have happened to Elizabeth. Maud's behaviour such as her constant gardening leads to a more interesting story.

Jackson claims that she understood the devastation of dementia from the old people's homes she visited during her time as a politician. You can tell you are watching a master craftsman at work, just watch her gait as Maud goes searching for her friend.

An interesting take, on the immensely difficult subject of Dementia. Glenda Jackson, gives a sympathetic and enigmatic performance as an old lady, struggling with the present and the past. It's wonderful to see this talented actress back on our screens - and to see a storyline, that draws you in and keeps you hopeful for an ending - that makes sense of the confusion suffered by a woman who is suffering from this appalling condition.

Glenda Jackson's friend Elizabeth s missing but no one pays any attention what Maude (Glenda) is saying They dismiss her. By the way Maude has dementia and has notes all over reminding her what to do and not to do. She lives in a state of haphazard order and with a feeling of futility. This crusade to find Elizabeth only makes her feel even more helpless and yet with a firm resolve to do SOMETHING.

She is also remembering her sister who mysteriously disappeared years ago. What happened to her?

For fans of Glenda Jackson, this is a must-see. Glenda is spectacular. I predict she will be winning awards for this. In fact, she has already won British awards for this. Miss this and you miss one of the many great performances of Glenda Jackson.

I watched this last night and Glenda Jackson is heartbreakingly superb as the Alzheimer's victim, Maud. It follows her as she attempts to find out what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and how this current mystery induces flashbacks and repressed memories surrounding the disappearance of her sister 70 years ago. It highlights the strain that families undergo whilst living with a loved one with dementia, and how life itself becomes a mystery to the sufferer.

Glenda Jackson puts on an incredible performance; at times the film is emotionally distressing and makes for difficult viewing. Her portrayal of how Alzheimer's erodes the sufferer's core personality, replacing it with a violent stranger, is worthy of a BAFTA. The secondary mystery of what happened to her sister all those years ago is beautifully intertwined with the present day storyline. This is definitely worth a watch, but make sure you have you tissues on standby.