Still Alice Page #10

She guesses randomly.

ALICE:

Smith.

DR. BENJAMIN

And his address, was it EastStreet, Washington Street, MainStreet or Humbolt Street?

John speaks up.

PINK PAGES 64

JOHN:

Sorry to jump in here, we’re both

concerned about the rate of

deterioration. Is that normal?

DR. BENJAMIN

Every case is different. With

Familial Early Onset, things can go

fast -- and actually with people

who have a high level of education,

it can go faster. Often they’ve

managed to sustain their mental

processes by innovative means and

that delays diagnosis. Clearly

Alice’s memory is failing but she’s

still incredibly resourceful.

ALICE:

Thank you.

DR. BENJAMIN

I know you’re discouraged. But

sometimes I’ve seen patients

plateau, even at this point. Don’t

lose hope. Alice, I read your name

in the Dementia Care Conference

brochure. You’re going to give a

speech.

Alice nods.

ALICE:

Will you be there?

DR. BENJAMIN

Yes, I’m looking forward to it.

JOHN:

I’m going to be away on business in

Minnesota and I’m worried. Are you

sure this is a good idea --

considering the state that she’s

in? She’s going to be under a lot

of stress.

DR. BENJAMIN

Oh, I think it will be great for

her. I’m sure everything will be

fine. You’re not worried are you,

Alice?

She ponders this for a moment.

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ALICE:

No, I don’t think so.

INT. ALICE’S HOME - OFFICE - DAYS LATER

Alice is practicing her speech out loud, going over the wordswith a yellow marker. On the computer in front of her, Lydiais on Skype.

ALICE:

“Various ways to prevent theproduction of Amyloid are beingtried. There is a new study thatcombines base and gamma secretaseinhibitors and this is one of our

best hopes for the future...”

That’s it. That’s the speech.

LYDIA:

It’s good, Mom. It’s good. It’s

very scientific.

ALICE:

Yes. Well, you know.

LYDIA:

And I’m sure it’s valid. But um...

ALICE:

But what?

LYDIA:

I mean, is there any value in

making it a bit more personal?

ALICE:

I don’t understand. What do you

mean by personal?

LYDIA:

It’s not a speech to a room ofscientists. What I want to know

really is how you feel. What does

it feel like? What does this

disease mean to you?

ALICE:

(getting irritable)

You weren’t listening becausethat’s all there. That’s in the

speech.

LYDIA:

Okay. Don’t ask me then.

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ALICE:

Oh no then, I won’t ask - then.

Lydia gives it a moment then tries to re-engage her mother.

LYDIA:

Hey...mom...let’s give it one more

shot, okay?

ALICE:

(annoyed)

I can’t because I have done it

already. I use this - this yellow

thingy - to make it so I don’t have

to read the same line over and over

and over again.

Alice waves her highlighter pen at the screen.

LYDIA:

Got it. Totally. Just print out

one more.

ALICE:

Do you know that it took me three

days to write this?

LYDIA:

You can print out one more...

ALICE:

No no! It took me three days!

LYDIA:

Sorry.

ALICE:

Three days.

She clicks off the Skype and stares at the blank screen.

INT. LECTURE THEATER - AFTERNOON

From behind, we follow Alice and Tom as they enter a large,

crowded lecture hall, led by LUCIA GUZMAN, a coordinator forthe Alzheimer’s Association.

LUCIA GUZMAN:

Here you are...

ALICE:

Thank you.

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She removes two ‘RESERVED’ stickers on places at the front ofthe auditorium. Alice sits, a sheaf of papers in her lap.

Tom cranes around to look at a sea of unknown faces.

Alice sees Anna and Charlie about eight rows behind and

waves. A voice comes in from the left.

DR. BENJAMIN

Hello there.

TOM:

Hello.

Alice turns and sees Dr. Benjamin - recognizes him, but can’tremember his name.

ALICE:

Oh, Hi. Tom this is my doctor.

This is my son.

DR. BENJAMIN

I’m Travis Benjamin, I’m your

mother’s neurologist.

ALICE:

This is my son, Tom.

DR. BENJAMIN

So how you feeling Alice?

ALICE:

I think I’m nervous.

DR. BENJAMIN

You’re going to do great. Break a

leg!

He smiles encouragingly as he departs.

DR. BENJAMIN

(to Tom)

Nice to meet you.

INT. LECTURE THEATER -ON STAGE AFTERNOON

Lucia Guzman is now at the podium.

LUCIA GUZMAN:

It’s a great honor to welcome ournext speaker, Alice Howland. A

former Professor of Linguistics atColumbia, she’s written textbooksand she’s lectured all over the

world.

(MORE)

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LUCIA GUZMAN (cont'd)

Alice has been living with EarlyOnset Alzheimer’s with the care and

support of her loving family.

Please welcome Alice Howland.

Alice walks to the podium, sets down her file and looks outto the sea of strange, intimidating faces.

ALICE:

Hello. Please give me a minutehere.

She uncaps her pen. And she begins reading from her speech,

highlighting each sentence as she goes. It makes for an

awkward presentation.

ALICE:

Good morning. It’s an honor to be

here. The poet Elizabeth Bishoponce wrote: 'the Art of Losingisn't hard to master: so manythings seem filled with the intentto be lost that their loss is no

disaster.' I'm not a poet, I am aperson living with Early OnsetAlzheimer’s, and as that person Ifind myself learning the art oflosing every day.

She turns the page and looks up.

ALICE:

Losing my bearings, losing objects,

losing sleep, but mostly losingmemories...

When she looks back down, she knocks the pages from thepodium. A murmur from the assembled. Alice tries to gatherup the pages with the help of Lucia Guzman. For a longmoment, she seems lost in confusion. Finally, she finds apage with some yellow markings on it and resumes.

ALICE:

I think I’ll try to forget thatjust happened.

Warm laughter from the crowd - they’re with her!

ALICE:

All my life I’ve accumulated

memories - they’ve become, in a

way, my most precious possessions.

(MORE)

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ALICE (cont'd)

The night I first met my husband,

the first time I held my textbook

in my hands. Having children,

making friends, traveling the

world. Everything I accumulated in

life, everything I’ve worked so

hard for - now all that is being

ripped away. As you can imagine,

or as you know, this is hell. But

it gets worse.

In the audience, Dr. Benjamin is willing her on.

ALICE:

For who can take us seriously when

we are so far from who we once

were? Our strange behavior and

fumbled sentences change other’s

perception of us and our perception

of ourselves. We become

ridiculous, incapable, comic. But

this is not us, this is our

disease. And like any disease it

has a cause, it has a progression,

and it could have a cure. My

greatest wish is that my children,

our children - the next generation -

do not have to face what I am

facing.

Anna watches her mother from the audience, the words

resonating.

ALICE:

But for the time being, I’m still

alive. I know I’m alive. I still

have people I love dearly. I still

have things I want to do with my

life. I rail against myself for

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