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The Robert Loggia/Marc Meyers Interview (Page 3 of 4)
An Interview with Robert Loggia and Marc Meyers
Gary Barg:
Saying goodbye.
Marc Meyers:
It is like his last great moment
Gary Barg:
I was specifically touched by Loggia’s
acceptance of and response to Barbara
Barrie’s condition. My take is that to
him, it is all about love now, is it
not?
Marc Meyers:
I think when these things happen
gradually within a family and you love
someone your whole life, it is always a
gradual progression towards realizing
where you are in your life. You are not
going to reject that situation as much
as you are just going to embrace this
woman you have loved your whole life and
you are chemically and biologically
connected. Though she may have
Alzheimer’s dementia at this moment in
time, the love and bond they have
transcends this shift that has been a
gradual progress, probably over a number
of years. That is true probably in any
marriage and relationship.
Gary Barg:
My take on Alzheimer’s caregiving is
that the last thing anybody feels or
remembers or understands is love. When
my grandfather was ill and in a nursing
home, he didn’t know or understand
anything. But when my mom walked in, he
chemically or biologically knew it and
perked up.
Marc Meyers:
There’s almost something infantile but
primal that remains and as a director,
it was fun to play with that instinct
when talking to Barbara—that she may not
be able to get the words out, but she
can know certain things. For example,
when she says there is a parade
downstairs, she is referring to the
funeral at the house. She knows there
are people down there. She knows it is
for a bad reason. She probably even in
her heart knows it is because she lost
her husband, but she cannot even
concentrate or keep her brain together
long enough to reach that conclusion.
But in her gut, she understands what is
going on like a child might understand
what is going on.
Gary Barg:
As a writer, I was very aware of how you
got into the soul of somebody living
with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and what
it is like inside their head. That scene
with her and Jack on the bed—could you
explain that a little bit?
Marc Meyers:
I feel like the movie is progressing
towards that scene. It is for the
audience to see that scene so clearly
that there is no reason for me to move
the camera; I just allow them to be
alone together. In that scene is a
moment where she cannot communicate
verbally what she is experiencing
inside, but the audience completely
understands what she is going through.
They understand her now and I have
earned that moment by allowing people to
just be with her. I always felt that the
movie progresses right toward that
moment. It was all leading to that.
Gary Barg:
What would the takeaway lessons for a
family caregiver be in the movie you
created?
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