The Great Lillian Hall: A Flawless, Powerful, Heartfelt Drama About Dementia

Lillian Hall (Jessica Lange) is affectionately known as the First Lady of American Theatre. She has performed in 206 plays over 49 years and is announced as the recipient for the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the arts. In rehearsals for a new stage show, audiences are anticipating watching the great Lillian Hall in this new production.

“What makes her so special? They don’t make them like her anymore…” somebody remarks.

However, lately she has a problem remembering her dialogue and her movements on stage. It’s soon established she is suffering from a form of dementia of which only her personal assistant Edith (Kathy Bates) is aware of. Her dementia is progressing rapidly.

“She’s struggling. We have to talk about replacing this role before it’s too late – we are in trouble!” laments a producer as opening night is fast approaching.

People are buying tickets to come and see the great Lillian Hall – will they walk out if she is replaced? The director’s job is to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Should he replace her knowing very well that audiences are only attending to see Lillian Hall?

The Great Lillian Hall is an incredibly powerful movie, captivating from the opening scene, which clearly depicts the progressive nature of dementia. Sleep disorder, cognisant decline and visual hallucinations are all the debilitating signs of this neurodegenerative disease and realistically portrayed on screen.

Jessica Lange is a remarkable actress who has rarely been seen on the big screen in recent years, as she is very selective in her choice of roles. She delivers a career defining performance as the actress suffering from this brutal disease.

On account of her astounding performance, audiences will experience Lillian’s inability to battle dementia – her denial, confusion, and fits of anger. There are many unsettling scenes that will be uncomfortable to watch and as opening night approaches a feeling of unease and apprehensiveness to continue watching may infiltrate the more sensitive of viewers.

Theatre culture is also explored and how having an actress in the family unit has strained this mother/daughter relationship. Lillian Hall was a tremendous actress but was she a good mother?

Actress Lily Rabe portrays the daughter who constantly tries to amend the tattered relationship with her mother – the actress who has always put theatre before family, declaring, “The play is my life!” Rabe’s performance is formidable notably in the extremely heart wrenching scenes which should leave audiences who have loved ones suffering from dementia tearful.

Kathy Bates shines in all her movie roles and once again lights up the screen as Edith, Lillian’s long-time companion and personal assistant. Pierce Brosnan has a small role as Lillian’s neighbour and distraction to her health issues.

The Great Lillian Hall is flawless in all areas of production. The cinematography, astute direction and outstanding performances from an exceptional cast all compound to deliver audiences a memorable highly emotional cinematic experience.

Ultimately the resonating message is that dementia does not discriminate; it can affect anybody regardless of stature.

****1/2

The Great Lillian Hall is in Cinemas from June 5.