Dementia in Documentary Film: Mum by Adelheid Roosen

Abstract

This article draws attention to the fact that documentaries do not simply reproduce the reality that film and audience share but always present a particular view of this reality. This implies that organizations in Alzheimer care, education, and research that often recommend documentaries to inform people about dementia should take into account that these films might reinforce negative stereotypes inducing fear of dementia. An in-depth analysis of the Dutch short documentary Mum (2009), directed by feminist artist Adelheid Roosen, illustrates that the reasoning of the personhood movement in dementia research can be translated into an artistic form. By highlighting instead of veiling its means of production, Mum stimulates viewers to imagine people with dementia as other than lost selves.