The Road Not Taken: A day in the life of Leo (Javier Bardem) who is suffering from dementia. As his daughter Molly (Elle Fanning) brings him to various medical appointments he tries to escape from a taxi and ends up in hospital but is soon released to inflict yet more mayhem on Molly. In his head he is experiencing differing scenarios where he was abandoned by his first love, Dolores (Salma Hayek) but might have gotten her to stay; in another he is on a Greek island. These visions morph together eventually, even though they take place decades in the past, his age remains the same.An interesting exploration of what dementia entails, not just for the sufferer but also their loved ones. Molly is fiercely defensive of Leo, feeling that he is being denied agency, his ex-wife Rita (Laura Linney) is more cynical. Some disturbing scenes but the film also shows how confused people, especially those who appear to be immigrants, can fall foul of the law. Good performances all round and writer/director Sally Potter delivers a moving tale of love, loss and what might have been. 7/10.
Review of The Roads Not Taken
