Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory is a 2014 American documentary film directed and produced by Michael Rossato-Bennett. The film premiered in competition category of U.S. Documentary Competition program at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. It won the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary at the festival. The film deals with the subject of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and how music therapy can help and ease their suffering. In many chapters of the film Dan Cohen of Music and Memory places music headphones on patients and we see them become very expressive; his pioneering efforts have placed personal music players in nursing homes.

Details
A Kickstarter crowdfunding project to finish the film and develop an app was successfully funded on 31 July 2012.

After its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, BOND/360 did a service publicity deal for the theatrical distribution of the film. The film was released on July 18, 2014 in the United States. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Reception
The film received positive response from critics. Rob Nelson in his review for Variety said that "Michael Rossato-Bennett captures some amazingly transformative results in the treatment of dementia through music." Duane Byrge of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film positive review and said that "A gloriously inspirational film documenting music’s healing power in Alzheimer patients." Steve Greene from Indiewire in his review said that ""Alive Inside" provide a sense of idealism amid bleak situations. When discussing the impact of music on an environment so often typified by isolation, one of the patients describes his desire for freedom."

References

External links

Alive Inside Foundation - Connecting the Generations and waking minds!

Category:2014 films
Category:American documentary films
Category:American films
Category:2010s documentary films
Category:Documentary films about dementia
Category:Documentary films about music and musicians
Category:Music therapy
Category:Sundance Film Festival award winners
Category:Kickstarter-funded documentaries