Alzheimer’s Society offers a long goodbye

This heart-breaking new campaign highlights the ways in which dementia impacts on those affected by it, as well as the family and friends who surround them.

Created by New Commercial Arts London, the two-minute film brings to life the experience of so many families who face losing their loved ones in stages, ahead of that final goodbye. 

Directed by Knucklehead's Charlotte Regan, whose film Scrapper was nominated for a BAFTA this year, the film follows a son giving a eulogy at his mother's wake, in which he reveals the times she ‘died’ before she physically died, the breadth of symptoms she experienced, and how they affected those around her. 

Narrated by Colin Firth, the film highlights the charity's commitment to be there at every part of the struggle, by supporting people at every step of their journey with dementia.

“This campaign is a simple, powerful idea that has been executed with empathy and skill by a director who has the world at her feet," said Ian Heartfield, Chief Creative Officer at New Commercial Arts. "The result is a film we are all extremely proud of.”

“The Long Goodbye spoke to the grief that I think so many of us have experienced," added Regan. "The pain of seeing someone you know and love lose aspects of themselves. It’s a stage of grief no one talks about. Your person is still there but you're grieving and you're drowning. The script captured that incredibly. The work Alzheimer's Society does is essential. The impact dementia has on not only the person with the disease but the community around them is not spoken about enough. Hopefully this film opens up those conversations."