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2011, 03-16:
Review of film: “THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED”
Can Music THERAPY help the brain recover?...
Henry Sawyer (J.K. SIMMONS) has worked for many years as an engineer at POLAROID. He happily married his wife Helen (CARA SEYMOUR) around the early 1950’s, & what he calls “their song” was Bing Crosby’s “TILL THERE WAS YOU” [although, when I checked, that song wasn’t recorded by anyone until 1958]...
... They had a son named Gabriel (played by MAX ANTISELL as a very young boy, & then by LOU TAYLOR PUCCI as a young & grown man). J.K. always enjoyed “introducing” his son to the music HE liked (including “their” song of him & Cara), & he was pleased when Lou sang & played guitar with a BAND when in high school...
... As shown in a series of flashbacks, Lou became an ANTI-WAR demonstrator by the mid 1960’s. His father was very upset by that, because his beloved brother was KILLED in a [Korean] war battle some years before (& we’re shown a scene of J.K. taking young Max to the brother’s grave years before)...
... There was a huge “FALLING-OUT” between J.K. & Lou (over his anti-war stance & seemingly because he felt Lou was becoming a “DRUGGIE”)... When we meet the “current” Lou, he hadn’t really been in touch with his dad for like 20 years, & had recently been found to have a BRAIN TUMOR (seemingly when he was in his mid-30’s or so)...
... While the tumor was generally “benign”, it was huge & had to be removed by surgery in the area where J.K. & Cara live...
... When that was done, it was found that Lou’s brain had been very ADVERSELY AFFECTED by the situation: While he had some good LONG-term memories, his short-term memory was nearly NON-EXISTENT, especially regarding things that had just been said to him...
... Cara tries to be very supportive of Lou, but J.K. (who’s been in-effect LAID-OFF at work) quickly becomes very depressed by Lou’s condition & finds it very hard to VISIT him in the hospital / rehab location...
... Thru the flashbacks, we keep learning more & more about WHY Lou & J.K. had their falling out & things that J.K. didn’t really understand at the time... At one point, J.K. discovers that some studies had shown that MUSIC THERAPY could sometimes be used to HELP people suffering brain problems, & he investigates whether such a thing might possibly help LOU to some degree...
... Diane Daley (JULIA ORMOND) works in the field of Music Therapy, & she’s hired to try to ASSIST Lou with his problems. She sees that certain music brings back very strong “memories” to Lou, at times very GOOD ones that cause him to start thinking & talking “NORMALLY” (like his “OLD” self)...
... One big problem that’s discovered is, Lou can only live in the past with his memories, being “unaware” of the present. Thus, he has no real comprehension of how much TIME has passed in his falling-out with J.K. & what’s happened to others he knew-- such as his first love, Tamara (TAMMY BLANCHARD), & her brother who was an old band-mate of Lou’s...
... Little-by-little, Julia is able to determine which music brings POSITIVE responses from Lou -- usually, the music he knew as a young man, such as songs by DYLAN, the BEATLES, and especially his favorite band, The GRATEFUL DEAD (who Lou always wanted to see in person & never did)...
... We’re shown lots of the “back” story of J.K.’s family via flash-backs, & J.K. often “DENIES” things the way LOU says he “remembers” them, & that initially sets-up a “barrier” between him & Lou in the hospital... But, eventually, CARA makes clear she feels LOU is the one that remembers things “correctly”...
... In time, Lou gets a crush on a food-server at the hospital named [Ce]Celia (MIA MAESTRO), & being with her at times also helps him “open-up” a bit mentally & emotionally...
... Seeing that certain things clearly IMPROVE Lou’s communication, J.K. sets about working to “learn” about the music & world that Lou had most ENJOYED both when he was with his folks & then AWAY from them for so long...
... How MUCH will the music therapy be able to help Lou?... Will meeting the “current” Tammy AID Lou in his understanding of things & his general revovery?...
... Will J.K.’s special efforts (of getting to know the music that “affected” Lou in life) help him & Lou grow CLOSER as people?... How will things “RESOLVE” in the story?...
... There’s some really FINE and sensitive acting done by J.K., Cara & Lou in this story. Because of the fact-based areas of the positive effects of Music Therapy, & the sweet elements of the bittersweet story, I am rating this at 8.25 out of 10 stars...
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BEFORE the movie, we were introduced to it by a lady representing therapists who USE Music Therapy in their profession...
... After the film, professional people in that industry were available to DISCUSS the subject with people, & literature was available...
... I myself have SEEN how music can “jar” memories in people (of days & events & feelings from the past)...
... The literature available pointed out the following facts (with emphasis being mine):
... “ Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program... ”
... “More than 20,000 people in Illinois receive music therapy services within the span of one year. Unfortunately, many more people who could possibly benefit from music therapy have NO ACCESS to services due to lack of state recognition and reimbursement for services from 3rd Party sources.
... “As of December 2009, there are 192 national Board-Certified Music Therapists (MT-BCs) in Illinois.
... “ In Illinois, music therapists are currently employed by residential care facilities for persons with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, schools, adult and pediatric rehabilitation hospitals, adult day[-care] centers, geriatric facilities, general medical hospitals, hospices, behavioral and mental health agencies, and private practice... ”
... In case it might be of some help to people, here’s a listing of three of the professional groups involved in the subject:
... American Music Therapy Association (AMTA): http://www.musictherapy.org/
... Illinois Association for Music Therapy (IAMT): http://www.musictherapyillinois.org/
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