Aphasia
Aphasie
Marielle Dalpé
2023
| 3 min 45 s
Mixed technique / Under-Camera Animation and Digital Animation
English
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.
Poster
Long Synopsis
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.
One-liner
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 AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN CANADA
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
Excerpts
Contact NFB publicist for broadcast-quality excerpts.
Images
Loading...
Download
Loading...
Download
Loading...
Download
Loading...
Download
Loading...
Download
Loading...
Download
Contact NFB publicist for high-resolution images for print.
Team
Marielle Dalpé
Director
Photo
Photo : Sandra Larochelle
Marc Bertrand
Producer (NFB)
Photo
Photo : Valérie Sangin
Christine Noël
Executive Producer (NFB)
Photo
Photo : Valérie Sangin
Credits
Writer, Director, Art Director
Marielle Dalpé
Producer
Marc Bertrand
Sound Design
Luigi Allemano
With the voice of
Clare Coulter
Editing
Natacha Dufaux
Consultant to the Director
Karl Lemieux
Voice Recording
Geoffrey Mitchell
Re-recording
Jean Paul Vialard
Sound Exploration
Benjamin Proulx-Mathers
Translation
Helge Dascher
Karen Houle
Online Editing
Serge Verreault
Technical Coordinators
Mira Mailhot
Esther Viragh
Technical Director
Eric Pouliot
Technical Specialist, Animation
Yannick Grandmont
Studio Coordinators
Rose Mercier-Marcotte
Laetitia Seguin
Administrator
Karine Desmeules
Senior Production Coordinators
Josiane Bernardin
Camila Blos
Legal Counsel
Peter Kallianiotis
Marketing
Geneviève Bérard
Thanks to
Muriel and Andrée
Catherine Gadouas
Maude Gadouas-Girard
Hayat Najm
Max Woodward
Line Producers
Mélanie Boudreau Blanchard
Anne-Marie Bousquet
Executive Producer
Christine Noël
© National Film Board of Canada, 2023
Press Relations
-
About the NFB
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a leader in exploring animation as an artform, a storytelling medium and innovative content for emerging platforms. It produces trailblazing animated works both in its Montreal studios and across the country, and it works with many of the world’s leading creators on international co-productions. NFB productions have won more than 7,000 awards, including seven Oscars for NFB animation and seven grand prizes at the Annecy festival. To access this unique content, visit NFB.ca.