A 16-episode Korean drama series. A painful portrayal of how a patient struggles between the fleeting states of confusion and clarity.
Memory is a 16-episode drama is about a top-rated lawyer, Park Tae Seok (Lee Sung Min) whose golden days have suddenly come to an end when he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He puts his life on the line to fight one last case. He forgets the things that he needs to remember and remembers the things he needs to forget.
Getting to view the effects of the disease from Park’s perspective, viewers experience the disorientation and isolation that come with Alzheimer’s, allowing them to feel the effects of the disease from a young-onset patient’s perspective.
As the story unfolds, he strives to fight for the things in life that matter to him and brings those around him closer to each other. The drama depicts his vigorous efforts trying to protect the precious value of life and family love, while his memory starts fading away.
The drama captures the terrifying battle of both Park and his entire family as they find out that he has been diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s – the cruellest of all neurological disorders, highlighting the trials he face in different roles as a father, husband, ex-husband, son, boss, friend and self.
Part of the series covers how Park’s son comes to terms with his father’s illness and shows the process of him trying to do his part in caring for him. This is an incredible insight into the emotional conflicts young caregivers face and their struggles when a parent is diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s.
The story is a painful portrayal of how a patient struggles between the fleeting states of confusion and clarity. Getting to view the effects of the disease from Park’s perspective, viewers experience the disorientation and isolation that come with Alzheimer’s, allowing them to feel the effects of the disease from a young-onset patient’s perspective.
While we have all celebrated Still Alice and the impact it has managed to achieve, Memory offers an extended and in-depth look at how people living with young-onset Alzheimer’s fight to live on and remain present for as long as they can.
“Memory was a difficult drama for me to watch. My dad battled with young-onset Alzheimer’s over a period of 12 years and passed on in 2012. I’ve read many articles on how it feels like to be battling with the illness from the perspective of a patient but watching this series has brought me the closest form of understanding.. the moments of confusion and how it must have been like for him to be lost at different points of his journey. Because this was a series of 16 episodes, it really helped map out the progression and allowed me to vision how it feels like to be in the main character’s journey.”
