Anyone affected by Alzheimer's knows that the disease, which affects over 5.2 million Americans, is devastating. Trying to portray all of its effects on camera requires actors with superior talent and a great deal of empathy.
With the new movie "Still Alice," it appears that filmmakers have found what they were looking for. "Alice" stars Julianne Moore as one of the 200,000 people suffering from the early onset version of the disease, and is already being buzzed about for major awards this season.
But first and foremost, "Alice" is meant to raise awareness with a sensitive portrayal of what it's like to be diagnosed at age 50, and how family members slip into denial (like Moore's on-camera husband Alec Baldwin) or caregiver (like her on-screen daughter Kristen Stewart) roles.
"It forces you to examine how much time you have, how you want to spend it," said Moore, who has a Golden Globe nomination for the title role, on TODAY Monday.
Be sure to watch the whole interview to learn more.
"Still Alice" opened in theaters in limited release Dec. 5; it will go nationwide on Jan. 16.