Summary Of The Movie 'Episodic Memory'

Losing past memories of events is a somber part of dementia and a long deteriorating process Alice goes through. Episodic memory is the name for those events lost, specifically in the person’s (and in this case Alice’s) point of view; the emotions, time, place, and senses Alice feels during an event and is remembered enters her episodic memory. A part of declarative memory, episodic memories are explicit and therefore can be recalled deliberately. A fully functioning mind can recall many autobiographical events, including: weddings, birthdays, funerals, sports events, etc. Someone with dementia loses that ability and is unable to recall their wedding, 21st birthday, or watching the University of Arizona win the basketball national championship. Throughout the movie, Alice forgets various autobiographical events.
Trying to find something her daughter Lydia’s playbook, Alice stumbles across her Lydia’s journal. Alice and Lydia are then seen talking about the play, but Alice
Unbeknownst to Alice, she found that out through Lydia’s journal. However, when Lydia calls Alice out on it, Alice has no recollection of reading the journal and is in fact, stunned. Somehow she remembered that bit on the acting class, meaning the dementia has only taken away some of her episodic memory. Alice is left with only a fact, and nothing else. Consequently, a heated argument ensues. After this heated argument between Alice and Lydia, Alice feels tension the next morning at breakfast. However, she is unable to recall what the argument is about, as when Alice is alone with Lydia, she says “I know we argued about something, but I cannot remember what it was about.” Intriguingly, Alice remembers the emotions involved and when Lydia states the argument was nothing, Alice rebuttals with “No, I upset you”. She is keeping the conversation going and in turn is getting more details of the event from Lydia; Alice is making up for her failing episodic memory. The dementia has taken away more of