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New movie laughs and cries at dementia

A new American movie about ageing and dying – The Savages’ – won an Oscar nomination for actress Laura Linney, has been described by media as a breakthrough which is “ both discomforting in its honesty and bleakly funny”.

With an Oscar nomination also for best screenplay for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the movie draws on Jenkins’ memories when her grandmother and father, both suffering from dementia, went into nursing homes.

“That’s an indelible experience. It sticks with you, and kind of resurfaced years later.

“When people are at the extreme of things I think there is this kind of humour embedded inside, because that’s when human beings are struggling the most and they don’t know how to behave, and that’s when there’s a human farce co-existing with the tragedy” Ms Jenkins said.

Hoping that the movie will help people to feel less alone in their pain in these circumstances, Ms Jenkins said that “the good reaction would be if someone who was going through this saw it and said, “It was so funny and it was honest and it really made me laugh, but it also told the truth and I really appreciate it, as opposed to God, that’s about something that’s very unappealing. Who’s the audience for this movie? Its icky”.

The Savages was due to open in Australia on 1 March.

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