MEDIA STUDY GUIDE

Still Alice

by Bassam Adlouni and Pamela McKinnon

ETEC 531 UBC

OCTOBER 2015

Still Alice
Alice Howland is an accomplished neurolinguistics
professor. When she begins to forget words mid lecture
and struggles to remember appointments she seeks
medical advice and is diagnosed with familial early
onset Alzheimer's. As the movie progresses, Alice's
disease progresses and the audience sees the profound
impact the disease has on Alice and her family.

This media study guide aims to guide an interdisciplinary project

between Science and Technology 11 and English Language Arts
11. The purpose of the interdisciplinary project is to explore
themes specific to Science and Technology 11, namely those
related to health in general and genetic testing in particular, as
well as to reinforce skills acquired in the English Language Arts 11
class, particular to oral language. Through this interdisciplinary
project students will be able to explore content relevant to their
Science and Technology 11 course whilst practicing the skills
relevant to their English Language Arts 11 course. Through a
close study of the film Still Alice, an adaptation of Lisa Genovas
novel of the same name, students will have the opportunity to
explore the advancement of Alzheimers Disease (AD), its effects
on individuals, families and relationships as well as the notion of
genetic testing.

Key Concepts
Alzheimers Disease
This movie portrays the painful
advancement of familial earlyonset Alzheimers Disease in
accomplished neurolinguistics
professor Alice Howland.
Through the course of the
movie we see Alice
experiencing momentary
memory loss and disorientation
and how this leads her to seek
medical testing, which ultimately
reveals that she has familial
early-onset Alzheimers
Disease. We see Alice change
dramatically as the disease
takes its course.
Loss of Identity
One of the most poignant
moments of the film occurs
when Alice watches a video of
herself from when she was first
diagnosed with the disease. The
Alice that is watching the video
is almost unrecognizable from
the Alice within the video. At
different points in the movie we
see Alice express her frustration
to her husband at the changes
she is experiencing.

Learning objectives

Key Concepts

Genetic Testing
This media study guide aims to meet several of the prescribed
In the movie some of Alices
learning outcomes (PLOs) for English Language Arts 11 and
children choose to be tested to
Science and Technology 11 as part of the BC Curriculum.
find out if they carry the gene
Selected learning outcomes that this guide will meet are:
for familial early-onset
Alzheimer's. This raises issues
Health
of the purpose of genetic
D3: Evaluate different
testing. Once you have found
Thinking (Oral Language)
societal perspectives on the
A10 speak and listen to synthesize out that you carry a gene that
development and use of medical
could develop into a disease,
and extend thinking, by
technologies including:
personalizing ideas and information what should you do then? What
- cultural
explaining relationships among ideas if, as in this case, there is no
- local
treatment for the disease you
and information
- provincial
applying new ideas and information have been tested for, what
- national
benefits do you gain from
transforming existing ideas and
- international
having the genetic test? What
information
are the drawbacks of having the
contextualizing ideas and
D1 Describe how current
genetic test?
information
medical technologies are
used to address different types
of illnesses with respect to
Purposes (Oral Language)
transmission, detection,
A1 interact and collaborate in pairs and
prevention, and
groups to:
treatment.
support and extend the learning of
self and others
explore experiences, ideas, and
information
incorporate new perspectives into own
thinking
A2 express ideas and information in a variety of
situations and forms to
explore and respond
recall and describe
narrate and explain
argue, persuade, and critique
support and extend

Family Relationships
As Alices disease progresses,
her changing relationship with
her husband, children and
friends is prominent. Questions
of spousal support, parenting,
and the changing roles of
parents and children when a
parent has a debilitating disease
are raised.

Focus Questions

Before viewing the movie, in pairs or groups of three discuss the following
questions. Be sure to record your groups thoughts.

What would
it feel like to
lose memories
and skills?

WHAT IS
IDENTITY?

In what ways
would health
issues impact the
nature and quality
of relationships
between spouses
and parents and
children?

WHAT ARE
THE BENEFITS
OF HAVING/
KNOWING AN
IDENTITY?

After viewing the movie, in pairs or groups of three discuss the following
questions. Be sure to record your groups thoughts.

What were
the most
poignant
moments in
the movie?

In what ways
has this
movie
impacted
your views
on
Alzheimer's?

IN WHAT WAYS
DOES ALZHEIMER'S
DISRUPT AN
INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE
AS WELL AS A
FAMILY'S LIFE?

What questions
or issues does
this movie
raise for you?

Activities
1) The following chart details signs and symptoms to look for with an Alzheimers patient. In pairs
discuss the signs and symptoms and give evidence/an example of each that you observed in the
movie. Discuss the ways in which these signs and symptoms impacted Alices relationships with
her family and friends.

Memory loss
affecting day-to-day
activities

Disorientation in time
and space

Misplacing things

Difficulty performing
familiar tasks

Impaired judgement

Changes in mood
and behaviour

Problems with
language

Problems with
abstract thinking

Loss of initiative

DID YOU
KNOW?
Changes
in
personality

Activities
2) Reflect upon the key concepts (Alzheimers Disease, Loss of Identity, Genetic Testing and
Family Relationships) as well as your groups answers to the guiding questions.
Imagine you are Alice, one of her children or her husband. How would you feel about the key
concepts? What are some of your experiences with these?
Create a series of vlogs (two to five videos) that illustrate your experiences with two to three of
the key concepts.
In creating your vlog series consider:
- which role will you take (Alice, one of her children, her husband)
- your experiences/perspective with Alzheimers Disease, loss of identity, genetic testing,
family relationships
- use of multimedia (video, sound, image, graphic, animation etc.)

3) Look at the image below. In partners discuss how this image illustrates Alzheimer's disease. In what
ways does this image connect with Alice's experience with the disease?

Further Study
For those looking for general information on Alzheimers, please visit:
http://www.alzheimer.ca
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
For further brochures and publications on Alzheimers disease, care, treatment, genetics etc.
go to:
http://www.alzheimer.ca/en/We-can-help/Resources/Alzheimer-Society-brochures-andpublications

References
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2007). English language arts 8 to 12: Integrated resource
package 2007. Retrieved from
https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/english_language_arts/2007ela_812.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2007) Science and technology 11: Integrated resource
package 2007. Retrieved from
https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/sciences/2008scitech11.pdf
Brown, J. (Producer), Koffler, P. (Producer), Lutzus, L. (Producer), Glatzer, R. (Director), &
Westmoreland, W. (Director). (2014). Still Alice. [Motion Picture] United States: Sony
Pictures Classics.
Ogwu, F. [Photograph] Retrieved from http://2bh3fjfwtb1h68dqai6uooji.wpengine.netdnacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/alzheimers.png
Razlan. Still Alice. [Photograph]. Retrieved
from https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8606/16678451232_7098231383_b.jpg