Propelled by a jarring, lyrical aesthetic, Aphasia pulls viewers into a disconcerting sensory experience. This striking and unsettling debut professional animated short by Marielle Dalpé is a deeply moving foray into the heart of aphasia—a devastating neurocognitive condition that progressively destroys the ability to speak and understand words, afflicting many people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Both striking and unsettling, Aphasia is a deeply moving foray into the heart of a devastating neurocognitive condition, one that progressively destroys the ability to speak and understand words, afflicting many people who have Alzheimer’s disease.

Propelled by a jarring, lyrical aesthetic, the film pulls viewers into a disconcerting sensory experience. Visuals and sounds multiply and are superimposed on each other. Images collide as the voice of the narrator, Clare Coulter, dissolves into echoes. Meanwhile, startling glitch effects shatter the clean lines of the images.

In her debut professional animated short, Marielle Dalpé is not content to simply evoke the world of language dysfunction. Instead, she fully immerses us in it. The film allows us to feel what it must be like to engage in a battle with time and the limits of our own minds, while everything seems to be slipping away…

This powerful and important work highlights the ambiguous fragility of existence, and reminds us of that which makes us uniquely human: our ability to communicate.

A poetic tour-de-force with universal resonance, Aphasia encourages both individual and collective reflection.

Aphasia is an unsettling sensory experience that immerses us in the world of people with Alzheimer’s disease who are facing the loss of their language capabilities.

Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects many people who have Alzheimer’s disease. It occurs when the part of the brain responsible for language is damaged. People with aphasia may have difficulty speaking, understanding spoken language, and reading and writing. As a result, they can have a hard time effectively expressing their needs and their thoughts, which leads to feelings of frustration and isolation.

In Canada, more than 350,000 people* are affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to rise to 1.1 million by 2050.* More than one in five Canadians* have taken care of someone with a neurocognitive difficulty such as aphasia. As the population of Canada ages, it’s more important than ever to raise awareness of aphasia and its effects. By understanding the challenges faced by people with aphasia, we can ensure they receive the support and care they need to live with dignity.

* Source: Alzheimer Society of Canada

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