Yet Another Pandemic Documentary

With theaters still closed in NY and LA, new film releases are few and far between.   Thank the cinematic gods for churning out some nifty documentaries that are easily watched on streaming service or via On Demand outlets.   So what if they cost you six bucks to rent?   If you saw it in the theaters, you'd pay at least twenty bucks for a ticket.   Add another twenty for popcorn, soda, and Goobers.

So, for this, the pandemic is helpful.  Plus documentaries can be enlightening. Or so depressing that you don't worry about this dopey quarantine we are stuck in.

Indeed, "Robin's Wish," which recently opened on Amazon Prime, is both enlightening and depressing.   Hopefully, as time goes on, it is more of the latter as we learn the real reason behind Robin Williams' 2014 suicide.

Now I was a fan of this very inventive comic who might have even been a better actor than a stand-up comedian.   I'll never forget his appearance on the next-to-last edition of the Johnny Carson Tonight Show.   Sheer and constant brilliance.

Of course, someone of this genius ilk is usually tortured.   And Robin had his share of drug demons.   So, even though the news of his suicide was shocking, there was still a tinge of "not surprised" in a lot of folks' reactions.  This documentary by filmmaker Tylor Norwood helps to explain what happened with an able assist from Robin's widow Susan.

Truth be told, Robin was not himself for a while before his fatal demise.   There were hints of mental lapses and occasional physical tics.   The early diagnosis was Parkinson's Disease which is a drag to begin with.   Yet, Susan always sensed that there was something else in play with Robin.   And it wasn't necessarily booze or drugs.

This film, offering the talking heads of Susan and Robin's closest friends and neighbors in Marin County, stitches together the last years of Robin's life.   Of course, the suicide was chalked up to a bout of depression, but his wife still held out for more information.

The coroner's report gave her the answers.  Robin suffered from something called Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia.   Little is known about it, although I do hear now that the late Tom Seaver might have had it.  Baseball star Bill Buckner also coped with it.    It is truly the most sinister of all dementia because it masks itself so well.     It also can prompt the most bizarre of mental and physical reactions.   You frequently don't know what your mind is telling you to do.

Indeed, while always a little conflicted, Robin Williams was, by and large, happy with his own life.   Until Lewy Body Dementia decided on the spur of the moment that he wasn't.

So, yes, "Robin's Wish" is both enlightening and depressing.   It reminds us of the talent we lost.   But also connects us to a disease that all of us need to learn much more about.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night: Grilled beef knockwurst, bacon pineapple cole slaw, and pickled beets.