Seit den 1980er-Jahren wird das Motiv der Demenz vermehrt in Spielfilme eingebaut.
Ein positiver Trend, der jedoch auch Schattenseiten birgt: Demenzfilme neigen dazu,
den Krankheitsverlauf zu verharmlosen und zu beschönigen. Eine solche Verharmlosung
durch ein Massenmedium kann in Zukunft dazu führen, dass sowohl die Leiden Erkrankter
als auch die herkulische Aufgabe der Pflege unterschätzt wird. Dies kann Versorgungsprobleme
schaffen, die Ärztinnen und Ärzten in Zukunft bei der Beratung entsprechender Patienten
bzw. Angehöriger bewusst sein sollten.
Abstract
The fate of dementia patients often causes deep emotional crises for those living
with the disease as well as their relatives. The inevitable loss of personal memories,
identity and ultimately of basic bodily functions is deeply frightening and thus makes
the neurodegenerative condition a predestined pathology for dramatic roles in film
tragedies. Since the 1980s, the subject of dementia – in correlation with its increasing
prevalence – has frequently been incorporated into feature films, however initially
in minor productions and TV movies. This began to change in the 1990s and the new
millennium was the beginning of a genuine boom for this subgenre, leading to overwhelming
public, box office and critical success. Dementia has arrived in the repertoire of
filmmakers and recent productions such as Robert and Frank (2012), Falling (2020)
or The Father (2020) have reached millions of viewers and shaped their perception
of the disease. Therefore the taboo surrounding dementia is gradually broken, reducing
fears, misconceptions and prejudices in the population. While this trend should be
viewed positively, it nevertheless has its downsides: dementia films tend to equate
the progress of the disease with a regression into the infantile, to portray love
as a potent antagonist of the condition and to glorify the (vegetative) final stage
as a mystical-pantheistic state. Such trivialization by mass media may lead to an
underestimation of both the patients’ suffering as well as the Herculean task of caring
for dementia patients. This can create new challenges in the healthcare of patients,
issues that physicians should be aware of in the future whenever advising patients
affected or their relatives.
Schlüsselwörter
Film - Demenz - Medical Humanities - Medizin im Film - Medizingeschichte
Keywords
movies - dementia - medical Humanities - medicine at the movies - history of Medicine
