By Randall Yip
As time passes, memories fade. That’s the stark reality of Alzheimer’s.
Maleonn’s father was once the accomplished director of the famed Beijing Opera. Now he’s increasingly confused and disoriented. Maleonn sets out to slow the pace of his dad’s disease by metaphorically creating a time machine. His hope is to flashback to better times with his father before now distant memories vanish completely.
The time machine is central to Maleonn’s first play which he is collaborating with his father to produce. Can the father-son duo get the play to the stage before Alzheimer’s completely takes over?
This race against time is core to a new documentary, Our Time Machine, playing Saturday at CAAMFest in San Francisco and again Wednesday across the Bay in Oakland.
The characters in Malleon’s play our metallic robots the artist himself created.
Our Time Machine from Walking Iris Media on Vimeo.
I too wish I could have a time machine. My dad lived with Alzheimer’s for years and my mom cared for him until his death in 2004. Now she too is living with the disease. Just as I saw in Malleon’s dad, my mom asks me the same questions every few minutes.
“Did you eat yet?”
“Yes, mom, I did.”
“That’s good, you need to eat.”
“Did you eat yet?”
“Yeah, I had a hamburger.”
“Was it any good?”
“Delicious, mom. Thanks for asking.”‘
I’ll never get my time machine, but will Malleon get his? Our Time Machine is produced by Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang. Chiang’s earned an Emmy nomination for his last film, A Village Called Versailles.
Our Time Machine is more than just one man’s fantasy. It’s an up close and personal look at a debilitating disease. Film goers will see that Alzheimer’s not only affects the individual, it impacts the entire family and all those around them. The film also serves as a behind the scenes glimpse of the challenges of staging a theatric production.
Our Time Machine packs an emotional punch. The film is in Chinese with English subtitles.
(About the Author: Randall Yip is a longtime journalist whose goal this year is to raise $10,000 for Alzheimer’s research and family care. You can learn more about his efforts here)
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