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Just As I Remember (Review)

“What’s your dad like?” Andrew Moir realized it was hard for him to answer this question — his father, Don, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) could not speak, or move any but his facial muscles, and Andrew had little memory of him before the illness. This gentle but painful short documentary came out of that consciousness.

It’s also the story of Brad Katz, another man with ALS and three small children. His family reminds Andrew of his own at an earlier time. They’ve gone through many of the same experiences. But Don chose to stay alive, with a ventilator to let him breathe. Brad chose to let the disease run its course — and he died three months after the film was made. Instead of wondering which man made the “right” choice, we find ourselves wondering which one we would make, and why.

The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI) has announced that Just As I Remember won the $1,250 A&E Short Filmmakers Award for best film in its Online Short Film Festival, and was also awarded the new $1,500 Blue Ant Media Documentary Award for best doc. You can read more about it, as well as viewing it and the other winners, at the NSI site.

(Photo: Public Domain Pictures)

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