My hubby and I watched Supernova last night. At first, his only comment was something like, “Not much action, is there?”, but after a while he settled in to watching and enjoying it.
I, on the other hand, would be happy to watch Colin Firth cleaning the bathroom, but, once again, he was really, really good in this movie. Okay, yes I am biased.
He and Stanley Tucci (another great actor) are a long-time couple who are trying to reconcile themselves with the fact that Tucci (Tusker) has early onset dementia. As my husband pointed out, this is no action movie, but it does bring up some important, heart-breaking questions:
What constitutes quality of life for me?
How far would I go in order to retain control over my own life?
How would I face the knowledge that my mental capacity is rapidly deteriorating?
How would I handle the prospect of losing a loved one long before they actually die?
How do I grieve for someone who is still here with me?
How do I love someone “enough” to let them go?
How can I accept that it has to be their choice alone?
It was only a movie, but the reality is that some of us may well face this kind of pain at some point in our lives.
There is no easy answer. Just remember to hug your loved ones as often as you can and try not to back away from asking tough questions of each other if you feel the need. While these questions are still hypothetical and dealing with a future time, it will be easier.
For more information, please contact me at www.juliecryns.ca or julie@juliecryns.ca
