A Song for Martin
A Song for Martin
| 28 June 2002 (USA)
A Song for Martin Trailers

Martin, conductor of a symphonic orchestra, meet Barbara, violine player and they start a relationship. Five years later Martin starts to develop loss of memory and becomes more and more confused. Finally he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and Barbara tries to help as much as possible although Martin is often angry and violent towards her.

Reviews
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
suzanna_leslie I give it a 3 for being so long and drawn out, but I give it a 10 for reminding me and giving me a picture of what can happen when someone is given an EXTREME dose of Alzheimer's. This is a movie that shows you a "worst case" scenario, but given the choice of a long and drawn out condition or short one, anyone, whether caregiver or patient, would choose the later one and try to make the most out of it before they die. This is a good movie for someone who wants to become a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's and needs a good devil's advocate. This is also a good educational movie for those studying in the mental health field.
marbleann First I want to say I never heard of this movie before unless it was in the cable listings. The title made it seem like a children's movie. So I was never really interested. Well I got blindsided one morning. I woke up and the party scene in the beginning was going on. Right before she goes to bed with Martin for the first time. I was drawn to the movie because it wasn't your usual twenty-somethings but a middle age couple. I did not know he was not her husband until she broke the news to her children that she was getting a divorce. I am interested now. But I had not a inkling about what was to come. I love the scenes on their honeymoon and I said to myself this is a pretty god movie about finding love at a older age. If it was a American movie this would never have happened, BUT if it is a American movie something has to happen. We are so sanctimonious with our movies so they have to be punished. Well something did happen.I love this movie because it doesn't gloss over how bad it is to take care of a sick person. And how devastating a illness can be. Even though Martin had Alzheimer I feel his illness represented anyone who has to deal with a catastrophic illness and the caretakers, people who usually love them the most. How many people do I know including me who have taken care of a sick loved one who can identify with the woman in this movie. People are afraid to say how angry they could get or mad with the person they are helping. This movie shows her frustration and anger. The little scene in which she tells Martin that they canceled his show was great. God I knew she was lying. She was angry and that is how she showed it. She never abused him but she abused herself. How many care takers have I known end up sicker then the person they are caring for? Or died. More then a few. My grandfather for one. Thankfully in the country the movie takes place in they have places for people to go to to get a rest and health-care is free. In the United States we not only have to worry about the persons illness we have to worry about what happens if they have to go in a home. Not only because of the sub par care but because if you do not have a lot of money the care is horrendous. How refreshing to see that problem was not something she have to worry about. In this movie they deal strictly with the emotional side of a illness and how it affects the person who loves them the most. And it is done well. How the wife wanted to make life as normal for him as possible knowing that it was really fruitless. How she wanted to keep him home as long as she could. How it affects the children and friends. The scene where the best friend slips out of the concert hall was so realistic. People seem to disappear when their "friends" get sick. I am also glad it was not a long drawn out movie. They got right to the chase. The to leads were excellent. On a sad note I read that the female lead actually died right after making this movie and she had evidentially lived with the male lead and he was there with her when she died. How sad.
cathylb This is not a "public gratification" movie - don't watch it if you must have a happy ending. Also, it's subtitled (the subtitles were large and easy to read, yet did not detract from the film).It is a powerful and moving story of a woman, a talented violinist, dealing with Alzheimer's disease as she watches it ravage her husband, a renowned composer. It details her journey from having a fully functioning, healthy, loving husband, to the hard reality of taking care of him as he gets worse and worse. There are heart-wrenching scenes as he declines and his disease takes over his brain. As his wife, she is determined to keep him home as long as she can, but as he knows her less and less, it becomes impossible. We watch as the transformation takes place in her: From loving wife, to care-taker, to nurse-mother, and eventually to accepting the inevitable. It's amazing to watch how she adapts to each stage, and it is done incredibly well.I was completely engrossed in this film from the moment I started watching it. I found it beautifully done. It is worth watching.
Mattias A story about deep love and how it can overcome any obstacle. Barbara's and Martin's love is put to the test when their doctor diagnose Martin with Alzheimer's disease. For Martin, as a famous composer, it gets more and more difficult to finish an opera due to his sickness, which also strains his relationship with his wife Barbara. Her love and constant reminiscence of their past makes her treat him as fully healthy for much too long.Both Viveka Seldahl as Barbara and Sven Wollter as Martin are making a wonderful performance in the leading roles. Seldahl is able to use her face the show any kind of expression as the disease turns her beloved husband from a hardworking composer to a bedridden hospital patient. It is nice to finally see her in a leading role. And Wollter is thoroughly credible as the man suffering from a disease that slowly but surely will take his senses from him. We as the audience should ask ourselves if the man finally admitted to hospital is the same man Barbara married. The tragedy of Alzheimer's disease face us with a question if somebody's personality has something innate that will withstand loss of memory or dementia. To Barbara, at least, it is clear that Martin's illness does not change what she feels for her husband: love.Also worth accolades is the beautiful score by Stefan Nilsson.