Plot

HALLUCINATIONS is an immersive journey into the personal experiences of two people who are living with dementia, juxtaposed with the perspective of two carers.

HALLUCINATIONS take audiences on an immersive journey into the personal experiences of two people who are living with dementia, juxtaposed with the perspective of two carers. Pegeen O'Sullivan, the daughter of Irish novelist, Liam O'Flaherty, lives in a care village and Wendy Mitchell, wrote her first book, after being diagnosed with young-onset dementia at the age of 58. The film transports us to their interior worlds, their personal journeys and perceptions of reality. We are offered an insight into Wendy's daily coping mechanisms in her home - photos adhered to the door of cupboards so that they can be identified as cupboards rather than protrusions from the wall. Old memories when recalled appear as present reality, dead relatives reappear in their homes; what would be unsettling for people without dementia, may in fact bring comfort and security for those with it. The Islington tunnel, a grand piece of Victorian architecture, becomes a visual metaphor for the dementia journey. The intimate perspectives, dilemmas and hopes for the future, revealed in HALLUCINATIONS, offer a fresh and startlingly honest investigation of what it feels like to have dementia and how dementia changes perceptions - resulting in hallucinations, altered experiences of time and sense of identity.