Upon entrance of the Merlino room in the student art galleries, visitors are greeted by bare white walls, ominous music and a large projection of Cal State Long Beach photography senior Connor O’Brien’s father.
O’Brien’s short film “Mentia” plays on loop, as if to reflect the daily routines the film represents. It follows the trials of a normal morning for O’Brien and his 68-year-old father Michael O’Brien, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2010.
“‘Mentia’ not only acts as an intimate depiction of the rigors of caregiving and the severities of dementia, but also as a testament to the enduring love that my father inspired and continues to inspire,” O’Brien said in his artist statement.
The film follows the processes of assisted exit from a medical bed to the process of changing, bathing and feeding his father.
“I felt the clips informed his schedule and the eccentricities of caring for someone with dementia,” O’Brien said. “The pace… allow[s] the viewer to take time to breathe with him in his space.”
O’Brien says his father hasn’t been able to communicate with him for a few years, but by the smiles caught on film in “Mentia,” it would seem he still recognizes his son.
“‘Mentia’ is a creative outlet that I use in order to communicate what I can’t verbally. This is a call out to the universe saying, ‘this is happening,’ along with ‘what is happening?’” O’Brien said. “My father was such a positive force in the lives of so many, he deserves the patience and attention given in this film. He deserves much more than a life in dementia.”
His father’s condition has no doubt had a profound effect on the life of O’Brien and his family, but describes filming his father as though it is almost therapeutic.
“If anything, the filming has allowed me to separate myself from the situation and approach it as a photographer, not a son,” O’Brien said. “There is kind of peace in filming him, being able to simply exist quietly as he does with my focus on the space and the shot; A focus on the moment and not counting down the hours and minutes until he needs his medication, food or to be cleaned.”
“Mentia” is a heavy and compelling film, whether or not viewers have been directly affected by the disease. Dementia is an increasingly common issue in health care services with the estimated number of people living with dementia worldwide 47.5 million and is projected to increase to 75.6 million by 2030 according to the World Health Organization.
The disease has made a profound influence on O’Brien’s life and made him to be mindful of the future.
“Dementia has informed me how I want to continue my life, who I choose to spend my time with, and what is truly important,” he said. “The possibility of inheriting dementia myself is a real concern that clouds my thoughts of the future.”
O’Brien says he sifted through about 5 hours of footage in the making of “Mentia,” but his final product has been narrowed to about 5 minutes. If you have the time to spare, O’Brien’s emotional film will be offering perspective to viewers at the student art galleries, which are open from noon to 5 p.m. until Thursday.