Sunset and the Mockingbird (Short)
**Seen at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival
One of the things that could always get my mother energized near the end of her life was a good song. If you played something she remembered, she would try to sing it, even when she stopped being verbal. Shortly after she passed, I shared a video the memory care sent me once when they had “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing, and it was obvious she was trying to sing. One of the things I learned from “Sunset and the Mockingbird” is that, while Alzheimer’s and dementia are awful diseases, there’s something about music recall that they cannot touch. That makes that recall that my mom had in those moments make all the sense in the world, and it makes me smile that even near the end, music could still connect with her.
“Sunset and the Mockingbird” is both the title of this short documentary, as well as a song performed by jazz pianist Junior Mance, who- along with his wife/manager Gloria (whom I met at the festival after the screening of the film)- is the subject of this film. After a stroke, Junior’s memory is starting to fade, and it’s making life a greater challenge for Gloria. And yet, his music doesn’t really end after that. Even if he makes more mistakes than he used to, he can still play. What is it about music that pierces through the fog of degenerative brain disorders? Whatever it is, I know myself, and Gloria, are grateful that it does.
If you’ve never dealt with someone who has Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s hard for you to comprehend just how difficult it is to lose a loved one that way. One of Gloria’s most profound revelations in the film is how she found herself living two different lives- one outside of hers and Junior’s apartment, and one in it, where you’re often having to react to their truth as their memory falls further and further away. I didn’t have to live quite that profoundly difficult a life with my mom, but I understand how people would have to. This is an important, and deeply moving, document about love, loss and truly being there for people, even if they’re unable to be there for you. I love this film.
