TWO men motorcycling through the outback of Australia would not usually be the sort of television I’d enjoy, but when it features my favourite Avenger (of the Marvel variety) I make an exception. When he’s not being Thor, Chris Hemsworth is the middle son of Craig, his fellow traveller in Chris Hemsworth: A road trip to remember (streaming on Disney+ since 24 November, and broadcast on National Geographic the same day).
Craig has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that is hugely confronting and emotionally distressing to navigate, for both the sufferer and their family. At present, there is no cure, but research suggests that certain practices may help to slow down the speed of cognitive decline.
Chris and his father embark on a trip down memory lane, revisiting the places that formed core memories. It it called reminiscence therapy, and is the practice of retrieving old memories by using places, people, and objects to rebuild connections in the brain. The theory is that older memories become semanticised, leaving us with general, bald details of an event without the sensory impressions. If one’s memory is jogged by revisiting forgotten places, or by being asked specific questions, the brain gets a workout from retrieving distant information that is not accessed every day.
It is painful to witness the disintegration of a parent, particularly if they have always been tough and mentally robust. When they are aware of their own decline, it is even more painful. As a society currently making monumental decisions that will affect the vulnerable, we must not underestimate how much people fear the threat of dependency. In a tender moment, Chris asks his father what he is most afraid of. His answer is “Being a burden.”
Prisoner 951 (BBC1, first part 23 November, available on iPlayer) is the true story of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her husband, Richard Ratcliffe. In 2016, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe visited her family in Iran with her 22-month-old daughter, but, on attempting to leave the country, she was taken prisoner by the Revolutionary Guard (News, 24 June 2016). Accused of trying to overthrow the Iranian regime, she was denied a lawyer, kept in solitary confinement, and was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison.
The excellent performances make this four-part dramatised retelling an all too realistic, harrowing watch. Joseph Fiennes as Mr Ratcliffe is quietly superb, and Narges Rashidi as Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe gives a desolate, ravaged performance. Most distressing to watch was the depiction of the separation of a mother from her breast-feeding child, an unimaginable trauma.
Early on in her ordeal, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe reads these words carved on to the wall of her cell: “Stay alive, my friend, freedom is near.” It would be six years before she was released and reunited with her child (News, 18 March 2022), thanks, in part, to the tireless campaigning of her husband, who never ceased fighting for her return. This is a story of love, hope, and despair, skilfully told.