"The thing that matters are others, that’s what life is about."
–Robin Williams
Robin Williams was beloved by the world, and his death in 2014 broke the hearts of many. A new documentary, which is being released both digitally and on-demand on September 1, delves into the last days of the actor’s life as he faced down the devastating neurodegenerative disease Lewy body dementia.
Williams' widow, Susan Schneider Williams, and his close friends are interviewed in Robin's Wish, which sheds light on the final year of his life. Watch the trailer below:
Williams’ fight with the disease that was taking over his brain is described by those who knew and loved him, and those who worked with him. They describe how the actor, who had lived his life in front of the world, could not control what was happening inside him, and how he desperately wanted to fix it.
Schnieder Williams explains why the film is so important and sheds light on the inspiration behind the title:
"Robin wanted to help all of us be less afraid. That was Robin’s wish. We had been discussing what we wanted our legacies to be in life; when it was our time to go, how we wanted to have made people feel. Without missing a beat, Robin said, 'I want to help people be less afraid.'"
Williams took his own life in 2014, after experiencing dementia symptoms and having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The disease ravaged his body and mind, and it was only after his death that the full extent of Williams' illness was revealed. An autopsy showed clear signs that he had suffered a very severe case of Lewy body dementia.
After his death, Schneider Williams became an advocate and warrior in her own right, sharing her husband's struggle and hoping to help others understand him—and this terrible disease.
Lewy body dementia is a kind of progressive dementia that causes a rapid decline in mental abilities, thinking, memory, and movement. Symptoms include hallucinations, sleep difficulty, depression, apathy, poor attention, tremors, confusion, changes in reasoning, and more. Researchers have not identified a specific cause of Lewy body dementia, and there are no known treatments that can slow or stop the progression of the disease.
Robin’s Wish is presented by Vertical Entertainment. Be sure to have the tissues handy for this one, we did not make it through the trailer without crying.
