practical living
Leon and Moira Pericles. Photo: Darren McCagh
Whirlwind
of drama
The director of a new, personal
documentary on dementia writes
about the making of the film.
By Nia Pericles
I
’m a TV producer and director, and
somehow I always knew I would make
a film about my dad, the charismatic
Western Australian artist Leon Pericles. But
I never anticipated that the real star of the
film would be my mum, Moira.
And I have to be honest: it’s bittersweet.
Ten years ago when Mum was just 59
years old, she started to show signs of
acute anxiety and stress. She believed she
was losing her memory and following in
the footsteps of her own mother, who was
in a home with Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately,
Mum was right.
People with dementia are the bravest of
the brave. Grandma and Mum were both
so stoic as they faced their fears.
And in the face of that bravery, I decided
to bring a film crew into the picture.
The result is Storm in a Teacup, the
documentary I’ve directed. It aired on
the ABC in September during Dementia
Australia’s Dementia Action Week. I hope
our story will shine a light on what life is
like when you are living with and caring for
a person with dementia.
In many ways the documentary is a
homage to Mum, acknowledging her
life’s work – as the manager of Dad’s art
business, in the shadows, supporting him.
Mum had always joked with us about
ending her life if she ever got “what
Grandma has”. She would say it in jest, but
it spoke to that deep-seated fear about
ending up like her own mother, who spent
more than 20 years in a home.
As Mum faced her fears watching her
own mother, I’m now watching Mum’s
decline and grappling with my own fears.
As history repeats itself, I recognise that my
family isn’t the only one in this position.
Despite dementia being the number
one cause of death of women in Australia,
there’s still so much confusion in the
community, and by telling our family story
I hope to open up discussions about some
of the important issues we face with the
rise in dementia globally.
Euthanasia and assisted dying has been
a big topic for our family and it’s touched
on in the film. For about two years, Mum
would ask me gently on the phone (or in
person) about helping her end her life.
Hearing the fear in her voice, I promised
I would help. Of course this was a lie,
because currently there’s no law in Australia
that recognises an advance care directive
of this nature. I was able to capture one of
these spontaneous and intimate moments
where Mum expressed a desire to end her
life. I recorded it on my phone and it’s in
the film. It’s an important conversation for
the community to have regarding voluntary
assisted dying. I do wonder if there will ever
be a plan to protect the dying wishes of
people with dementia. It feels like there is a
long way to go.
With Dad’s big exhibition forming the
narrative backbone of Storm in a Teacup,
filming was quite stressful, but – mostly
thanks to Mum – also really fun. Mum is
in a happy bubble now and very playful.
She would flirt with the cameraman and
soundman at any opportunity, having a
chat and cuddle with them. Traditionally
in observational documentary (as this film
is), subjects are briefed to not look at the
camera. I quickly realised that with Mum,
because of her short-term memory loss,
this direction was never going to stick.
She engaged constantly with the lens
(because in her mind, she was engaging
with the cameraman) and the result is
simply gorgeous.
Mum has always loved a song and a
dance and a silly fart joke, but now more
than ever. She made the crew laugh all
the time. Going through something as
tough as losing your memory is seriously
confronting emotionally, and having Mum
on antidepressants really helped her, and
the family.
Having directed and produced other
people’s stories on shows like Bondi
Rescue and Getaway for most of my
20-year career in television, I wasn’t sure
how making a film about my own family
would go. Dad was under pressure to
publish a new book and gather more than
500 artworks for his exhibition, so he was
stressed. I was stressed too, because I
was trying to make this film and also help
him as much as possible. Thankfully there
weren’t too many blow-ups. In many ways
it was cathartic, because it forced us to talk
about stuff we had tried hard to avoid. Dad
was remarkably open during a period when
he had so much on.
When it came to finding a name for the
film, I thought about Dad and how he’s
constantly surrounded by a whirlwind of
drama. He’s always in his own little ‘storm
in a teacup’, and Mum confirms this in the
film. Storm in a Teacup is also the title of
an etching Dad produced in 1986 (which
you see in the film) and it’s a work I have
always loved.
I know that every case of dementia
is unique and that our story is just that:
our story. We are working closely with
the Australian Alzheimer’s Research
Foundation and Dementia Australia, both
of which are doing brilliant work to raise
awareness of key issues. I hope this film will
really engage people to learn more about
the disease, to understand that people
with dementia are important people with
feelings and opinions, who will often come
out of their shell if you engage with them in
a positive way.
Mum often gets the last word in the film,
and I love that. ■
Nia Pericles is the writer, director and
narrator of Storm in a Teacup, and a
development executive with Artemis Media.
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