For some reason I had not made plans for anything special today. While we were having our Saturday lunch at Bluefish Grill, I thought about the fact that we would have a full afternoon without anything specific. I decided to see what movies were playing and noticed that a new movie that supposed to be a good family movie, Wonder, was playing across from the restaurant. They had a showing at 1:10 which fit our schedule beautifully.
For months, I have been attempting with minimal success to find movies that Kate can enjoy. It is only in the past year or so that has become a challenge. We had had great success with Jane last week. I thought surely this would be one she would enjoy. It is a very touching movie with a number of emotional moments. It focuses on a young boy who was born with a condition that has caused serious problems. After numerous surgeries, his face was scarred which makes it hard for him as he enters school after several years in which his mother had home-schooled him. The overriding premise to the movie is the value of kindness.
As always, I periodically looked over to see how she was reacting but couldn’t be sure until we left after the movie how she felt about it. I quickly found out that she was not enthusiastic. She indicated that she had been very sleepy, or she might have enjoyed it. I was very disappointed because I didn’t feel that she needed to be able to follow the plot that the children, especially the stars, would capture her attention. I have often heard that people with dementia can sense emotions longer than they are able to understand what is literally happening around them. I have had the impression that has been true for Kate because up until the past year, she was enjoying most of the movies we have seen. That didn’t work today. This was a movie filled with emotion, just the kind that should have touched and would have in the past.
Although I am disappointed and saddened by the phasing out of our movie-going, I don’t intend to stop trying. On the other hand, I must admit to more than a bit of pessimism that I will have much luck. When movies go, the next thing could be live theater and opera. Life is closing in around us.
