Alzheimer's Research UK Launches a Monochrome Message of Hope

The spellbinding film created by AMV BBDO and produced by Somesuch, launches Alzheimer’s Research UK's new platform idea ‘Make Breakthroughs Possible,’ which hopes to address the sense of fatalism that surrounds dementia and replace it with a more hopeful outlook,  

Voiced by Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones), Aoife McArdle's spot follows the journey of a baby swimming in a deep, dark, underwater world and, when faced with confusion and adversity, shows a determination to break out into the light. It’s inspired by the idea that humans are born with a survival instinct, the purest form of which being the moment we come into the world and, powerless and unaided, take our very first breath. 

The film makes the link between this innate spirit and the drive to deliver life-changing research breakthroughs for people with Alzheimer’s. 

AMV BBDO set out to create an uplifting tone, and to bring a feeling of hope to a disease that is commonly considered as an inevitable part of ageing. The sound design has been carefully crafted to reflect some of the confusion and isolation that can be felt by those living with Alzheimer’s, the music and soundscape taking the viewer on an otherworldly and emotive journey. 

Tim Parry, director of communications and brand at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “For too long the narrative around Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has been one of hopelessness. Many people still don’t understand that dementia is caused by diseases, which we can overcome with research. Alzheimer’s Research UK wants to change the narrative from fear and hopelessness to one of optimism and possibility.”