Hi Everyone,

I know we touched on this film some time ago. It is slated for national release on none other than Thanksgiving weekend. It is essentially a love story starring Ann Hathaway. The bothersome part is that the producers created two trailers. One makes no mention of PD! The other is so grave in nature that it has the press assuming that YOPD brings with it an early death? An article in the Village Voice compares the film to Steel Magnolias and makes reference to the trailer where Ann Hathaway's character dies- completely misleading info and further sets us back, oh say, a hundred years.

I am on a mission to educate, and I thought the best way would be to set up a table at my local theater with me as a living example of YOPD. I want to answer questions, hand out brochures, take donations, whatever to get the word out. Has anyone done this sort of thing before? If I contact the PD Foundation, will they give me brochures to share. I also thought of highlighting some of the WPC videos and run it as a screensaver so it loops.

Any other thoughts on how to grab the attention of movie goers? I would love to hear from anyone who has done this sort of thing before. I plan on making up my own brochure and referincing Neuro Talk. What sort of facts would you all like me to include about PD? One of the key things I want to stress is 50 years with not much treatment progress. Any input is appreciated.

Laura

Hi Laura,
What an excellent idea! Just wanted to say that and more useful suggestions later.

Girija

Laura,

At the WPC they are having a sort of patient experts booth, where people can ask questions. Some material may emerge from that. I suggest that you prepare answers to some of the most common questions prior to the event, to hand out, then be prepared to answer broader questions that come from those.

Anything that breaks the stereotype and informs people will help, though you may find that the audience will either be mostly ignorant of PD, or fairly informed because they have encountered it before. I have rarely encountered the inbetweens! So it may be that you just need to tell the basics, as they really are, rather than the filmic view......

It is a fantastic idea, and well worth doing. And as you provide a little real life competition to the star of the film you will make a great advocate for YOPD awareness......!

Lindy

Thanks for finding this and bringing it to our attention, Laura. I wondered what happened to that movie.

You could also have your local newspaper do a mini-article about living with the disease and tell about the movie (and maybe even about Neurotalk).

Of course, we'd better preview the movie first - it may have a message that we don't want to spread around!

Peggy

you can watch both trailers here:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment..._now_with.html

jean

I think we need to see the movie before we jump to conclusions. It's more the village voice that is alarming rather than the movie trailer. I thought Anne's tremor looked really believable - I want to see more! And if the movie portrays her dx as a sort of early death ....... well, who among us hasn't struggled with that thought? This movie could prove to provide a good message for us. But we should see it first.

Quite true, Carey. I was thinking the same. My goal really was to piggyback on the movie to raise awareness; I certainly did not mean to imply I would be accosting people as they leave the theater. I did; however, get the distinct impression that the film director is using her PD for shock value and as an added dimension to what might otherwise be any other light, romantic comedy. Most people who comment on the movie seem very fixated on Hathaway's breasts...they are keeping a lid on the PD stuff. It'll be super interesting to hear audience reaction and I think having a living example there will provide a great opportunity to debunk some myths.

My plan is to connect with our local YO support group and see if we can't set up a table at our local indie theatres as a quiet "presence'. We can answer questions, and spread awareness in a quiet way with some dignity.

This is a natural for me because I love, love, film and my first intro to PD in a movie was not necessarily negative, but it was more the negative thoughts expressed by others born of ignorance, that upset me. I remember a few people say they would just shoot themselves or otherwise end their lives if diagnosed with PD, and at the time I couldn't say much. People say these things all the time, but it would be nice to politely clue people in and just for them to be able to make an every day, person next door connection. I think that we need a little real world peer context - when most people hear of PD they think of a celebrity, athlete, or nursing home resident, not of someone like themselves. Anyway, wanted to clarify.

Laura

Do you have any idea who the PD advisors for the film are? If they didn't use any they could just portray PD any way they choose.

someone told me that a member of an online chat room somewhere- sorry i don't have details - was Anne's model. i heard they became friends. that was quite awhile back but the movie was finished then.

This is a short film that was screened in South Africa in June and the focus is on early onset Parkinsons and dancing (the producers utilized medical experts for the film) I have not posted a sufficient amt. of times to give you the url. you can google the title. I have emailed the producers to see when there will be a screening in the USA