The Power of Reminiscence and Chris Hemsworth’s “A Road Trip to Remember”

National Geographic presents a story about family, loyalty, and the value of memory in A Road Trip to Remember.

As the holiday season draws nearer, families across the globe gather to share in and create memories. However, not all families are able to make or preserve these memories, as 55 million people across the world suffer from dementia (Alzheimer’s Disease Research). The Hemsworth family is one of them. 

In A Road Trip to Remember, actor Chris Hemsworth (Marvel) seeks to treat his father, Craig’s, recent Alzheimer’s diagnosis with a road trip across Australia to visit locations from their past. Traveling from Melbourne to the Bulman, Chris and Craig begin their journey from the family’s first home to the Outback, where Craig once worked as a bull master. Along the way, they discuss the value of family and friends while seeking to revive old memories before they are lost forever. 

Early in the documentary, Chris seeks the help of Dr. Suraj Samtani, an expert in Alzheimer’s and a proponent of “reminiscence therapy”. Dr. Samtani advises the duo that the best preventative measure for dementia is human connection. Exercising the brain by making regular social connections and discussing the past can help strengthen the connection between neurons. Following Dr. Samtani’s suggestions, Chris builds the road trip with his father around the theory of reminiscence and the importance of human bonds. 

During the trip, the team at National Geographic decorate the Hemsworth family’s old home (with permission of the owners) to look as it did in the 90s, drive motorbikes to the Australian outback, meet with Craig’s old friends in Bulman for a party, and recreate a touching photo between a young father and his son. 

However, it is important to note the privilege that Chris and his family have to engage in such in-depth treatment. Chris’s wealth and fame have given him the ability to refurbish an old childhood home, a feat that would otherwise be impossible for most families seeking to ease the symptoms of dementia. This privilege is also prevalent when the two return to Bulman, an area of the Outback populated by majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The distinctions of wealth are clear between the Hemsworth family and the locals, despite the decades-long friendship between them. According to Olga Havnen in The Australian of May 2023, the Northern Territories are facing economic challenges, including “inadequate and overcrowded housing; severe poverty stemming from high levels of unemployment, particularly among working-age men; lack of access to affordable food and essential household items; limited healthcare and other support services”.

Still, the core message of the documentary remains intact. Human connection is the best medicine we can offer. Regularly meeting with family and friends, be it in small, private settings or in the hustle and bustle of a sports game, can improve our brain’s health in the long term. Especially for families facing Alzheimer’s and dementia, any opportunity to be social is one that can make all the difference. 

At the end of the film, Chris and Craig reflect on their hopes and fears surrounding their family. It is a touching moment, focused on the ideals of family loyalty and care that bond two generations of men as they seek to heal and reminisce together. 

A Road Trip to Remember is available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu through National Geographic.

Watch the trailer below.

Author: Abby Kirby

Abby Kirby is an English teacher and fan studies scholar. She holds an M.A. in Media and Cinema Communications from DePaul University.

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