This is so sad and strange at the same time.

Seems weird that he doesn't constantly ask about the film crew in his house.

Good catch. It's so common to look past that whole thing today. People get so caught up in their own projection they forget who's holding the damn camera, and this is particularly odd considering the subject and his condition.

See also:

50 First Dates

Memento

So what about writing and journals? I heard that memory can be a bit different in that regard, that spoken words are different compared to written words.

Oliver Sacks answered that question in two of his books but also, conveniently, in this article here - http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/09/24/070924fa_fact_sacks

*related=http://videosift.com/video/Oliver-Sacks-Musicophilia-Amnesia-and-Music

Oliver Sacks - Musicophilia - Amnesia and Music has been added as a related post - related requested by oritteropo.

While they are filming he is continually aware of them, so even though he can only remember a few seconds or so into the past, his memory all the time is that they're OK to be there. He might not be able to remember why, but he'll have a continuous thread of thought saying it's OK.

What kills me is when his wife leaves the room and comes back. That right there, that's real love. For her to be able to cope with what's going on...

Saw this documentary ages ago... the wife lives in another city now, and has a new family, etc. But she still visits him semi-regularly, and (of course) he is none the wiser.

What's enormously sad is that - if I remember the documentary correctly (no pun intended!) - is that every time she re-enters the room, it feels to him like she's been gone FOREVER (even if it's only been a few minutes). Hence his intense emotional reaction every time they "reunite." So imagine how it must feel to him when she's been gone for a week (or more).

Wouldn't it be the exact same as if she hasn't been there for 33 seconds? He can't remember how long she's been gone after that, so there or not after 33 seconds, it's the same amount of time in his mind.

I'd hazard a guess because they are always in his field of view.

Since they never leave, his last memories are of them being there and him not being surprised they are there. If he left the room and came back, as his wife did, you'd get a surprised reaction.

Cooking must be an absolute nightmare though. Unless you constantly watch what you are doing (and how would you remember to constantly watch it?), I doubt you could ever manage to cook anything that required timing.

Do I Only Use 10% of My Brain? has been added as a related post - related requested by oritteropo on that post.