‘The Eternal Memory’ Director Maite Alberdi Explains How She Learned To Understand Illness As A Challenge And Not As A Tragedy [LFF 2023]

They always say you have to make memories while you can. But what if your memories slowly fade away? Then, you keep trying and make new ones, even if they only bring you temporary joy. Alzheimer’s is sadly a cruel disease that affects many people all over the world. One of them is Augusto Góngora. As a journalist, he told so many stories, and now his story comes to life in the beautiful and emotional The Eternal Memory. This documentary by writer/director Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent) shows us the impact of Augusto’s disease on his relationship with his lifelong partner, Paulina Urrutia, and the world around him. While there’s a lot of sadness, there’s also a lot of joy and hope. During the BFI London Film Festival 2023, we briefly chatted with Alberdi about this stunning feature.

Geek Vibes Nation: Congratulations on The Eternal Memory. What a beautiful documentary! How did you come across Augusto and Paulina’s story?

Writer/Director Maite Alberdi: Thank you very much. I was very fortunate. I’ve known them for all my life. A few months after his diagnosis, I realized he always goes to work with Paulina. Since he got Alzheimer’s, she decided to bring him to her world. It was the first time I saw a person with dementia who was not isolated from society. They were a couple in love. Alzheimer’s was not a problem. At that moment, I invited them to make the film.

GVN: How did they react when you told them you wanted to make a documentary about them?

MA: Paulina was terrified, and she had a lot of doubts. Augusto was the one that convinced her to do the documentary. He told her, “I’ve shot so many people all my life. So many people opened the door to show their fragility in front of my camera. So why am I not going to show my fragility?”.

 

GVN: How did you decide what to include in the documentary? They’ve been together for so long, and there are many videos, pictures and much of your own footage.

MA: It was an editing decision. We tried to understand how the past can relate to the present. And how we construct things. In the beginning, I only wanted to focus on the present. However, I realized you would only understand their love story if you included their past. It was a way to connect present, past, and future with personal, intimate stories. We avoided making a linear, chronological story about deterioration. The editing greatly constructed this documentary; it wasn’t a scripted film about dementia and the illness.

GVN: What is your best memory about them?

MA: It is being around them and living in their world. I always felt good when I was shooting this documentary. Even if it was an emotional, difficult situation, I never felt pain being there. And that is very special for me. Because when making documentaries, sometimes you think, “I don’t want to be here.” That is because you are shooting in terrible circumstances, but you also know you must shoot that footage. In this case, it was always joyful. I learned to understand illness as a challenge and not as a tragedy. That was very important for me.

GVN: The documentary is part of the BFI London Film Festival lineup. Are there any other film festivals you’re heading to?

MA: We started at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and this is the last one. We’ve traveled to many different festivals throughout this year.

GVN: Do you already have other documentaries or films you’re working on?

MA: I’m developing some, but I can’t say more.

You can read our review of The Eternal Memory here, which is being released courtesy of MTV Documentary Films.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpL6HTEYrIw]