Bridging Through Images: Touching the Eternity of Memory and Love —— Thematic Screening of “Eternal Memory” Concludes Successfully
When memory slips through fingers like sand grains, can love become an anchor transcending chaos? To explore the emotional power behind Alzheimer’s patients and provoke in-depth reflections on life and companionship, we specially organized the thematic screening of “Eternal Memory”. We invited students to step into the later years of Chilean couple Augusto and Paulina, and feel the touching tension between fading memory and unwavering affection through real images.
Centered on the core theme of “Seeing Memory, Understanding Deep Love”, this screening carefully designed two key sessions: “Film Viewing + Insight Sharing”. At the start of the event, the host briefly introduced the film’s background: as a documentary focusing on Alzheimer’s disease, it abandons deliberate dramatic expressions. Through the interweaving of black-and-white footage and real-life clips, it truthfully records the progression of former journalist Augusto’s condition from clarity to confusion, as well as his wife Paulina’s daily companionship — clinging to him through old images, touches, music and other gentle ways. This narrative style of “being unromantic yet most affectionate” quieted the students present from the very beginning, preparing them to empathize with the images.
During the screening, the venue maintained a quiet and solemn atmosphere throughout. When seeing Paulina playing their youth images repeatedly, calling Augusto’s name softly while he gradually failed to recognize his beloved; when witnessing her feeding him patiently, supporting him to walk, and remaining gentle even in the face of her husband’s confusion and anxiety; when observing the recurring solar eclipse footage, symbolizing the irreversibility of memory and the fragility of life — many students quietly teared up. The film’s core message, “Memory fades, but emotions endure”, resonated deeply through delicate cinematography: blurred images simulate the chaos of fading memory, the shaky handheld camera conveys the caregiver’s fatigue and perseverance, and the dual narrative not only shows Augusto’s worsening condition but also portrays Paulina’s tenacity and profound love. It allowed everyone to deeply understand the hardships faced by Alzheimer’s patients and their families, and more importantly, feel the strong resilience of human emotions.
After the film ended, an enthusiastic insight-sharing session kicked off. Students eagerly exchanged thoughts, combining film clips with their own experiences: One student said, “Paulina’s fight against forgetting with love deeply touched me. It turns out the best companionship is that even if you forget the whole world, I still remember to love you.” Another shared from the metaphor of “personal memory and national memory”: “Augusto’s career as a journalist intertwined with Chile’s historical context made me realize that every personal memory is a fragment of history, and love and companionship are eternal bonds transcending time and space.” Some students also connected it to real life, mentioning similar experiences with elderly relatives and sighing, “This film taught me understanding and tolerance. For loved ones with cognitive impairments, patience and love are the most precious gifts.” Everyone’s sharing was sincere and profound, making the significance of the screening go beyond “watching a movie” to become a collective reflection on life, love, and responsibility.
This thematic screening of Eternal Memory not only allowed students to intuitively understand the living conditions of Alzheimer’s patients but also awakened their attention and humanistic care for the elderly. The film’s core beliefs — “combating forgetting with love” and the philosophical insight that “emotions transcend memory” — will linger in the students’ hearts for a long time. In the future, we will continue to organize such in-depth and warm cultural activities, letting images serve as a bridge connecting individuals and society, emotions and reflections. We aim to guide everyone to learn to cherish in empathy, understand responsibility in reflection, transform the touch from the film into actions in life, and warm everyone around with understanding and love.
