You may well recognize Gene Jones from any number of movies ("The Sacrament", "No Country for Old Men") but you likely don't know his name. Such is the lot of a character actor. Jones is exceptional as he takes the lead in the horror drama "Dementia". His interpretation of George Lockhart, a crusty codger with a horrifying past, is both affecting and ultimately chilling. Other than that Hassie Harrison as Lockhart's granddaughter is unbearably adorable. And we get further substantiation that Vietnam irrevocably f'd up the lives of far too many.Like every other damn war before, since or that may ever be.

Other Reviewers on the IMDb Site have pointed out that during a Crucial Scene near the End, a Sound Editing Problem Exists that is Unfathomable. The Music Swells to completely Drown Out the Dialog between Characters and it leaves Unanswered Questions and a Frustration that can't be ignored. It's only One Scene but it's a Critical Scene and is Unacceptable. Other than that bit of Clumsiness, the Movie is a Good Psychological Thriller that is Well Acted and Staged. Some Gruesome Horror and Tense Situations make for an Unsettling Uncovering of what's going on in the Mind of an Elderly Man (Gene Jones) and His Live-In-Nurse (Kristina Klebe). There's some Fine Back Up Performances from Hassie Harrison and Jerry Lockhart and both Add to the Edgy Excitement. The Denouement is both Predictable and somewhat Surprising and the Film is Finely Photographed Overall, Worth a Watch for Fans of Thrillers and Indie Cinema.

Sometimes I wonder when I read reviews here if anyone actually even enjoys movies anymore or if everyone is, as Beckett would lovingly call, a CRRRRITIC (a "critic" for those of you who have not read Waiting for Godot). Waiting, however, seems to be a virtue of the past.Honestly, the biggest criticism should be that this movie was erroneously marketed as a horror movie when it is actually a psychological thriller.Dementia is a slow burn that first and foremost is anchored by two outstanding performances by veteran actor Gene Jones (The Sacrament & No Country For Old Men) and sadly far too unknown character actress Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween & Proxy). The supporting cast is equally talented and Steve Agee is hilarious in his appearance. As a New Yorker, I take a NY Times Review and especially a critic's pic very seriously. And I was not wrong to trust the Times on this one. I recommend this movie if you enjoy refreshing, truth-based performances, layered characters and a good story that keeps you on your feet from beginning to end.*The only reason I gave this a 9 is because there is a strange sound mix issue in the last 5 minutes that made hearing some of the last scene difficult - I hope they fix this.

I didn't exactly have high hopes for this movie, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway considering that the premise seemed interesting. Mental illness, and especially dementia, is something that I have always found to be fascinating, humbling, yet terrifying. I figured that the plot would be the standard sequence for these kinds of movies (introduce seemingly normal antagonist, antagonist slowly starts becoming creepy, no one believes protagonist that antagonist is nuckin' futs, antagonist becomes full fledged psycho, climax, resolution) and I was right to a certain extent. Or at least I think so. Throughout the movie, we get clued in that George was a very violent father/person and that he isn't exactly the kind of main character you'd want to side with. The nurse, Michelle, is obviously deranged and her behavior gets progressively more and more unnerving (albeit pretty unrealistic e.g. ripping the head off a Barbie doll at the check out of what looks like a hardware store. Why are Barbies being sold at Ace Hardware? And if she can keep up the facade of being a real nurse in front of her target's family, why can't she keep her cool at the shop's check out line?). However, we're told that she is avenging her mother, whom George killed when she was six years old. At least that's what I think happened. So who to root for? Well you'll never really find out.At the peak of the climax, you can't hear anything aside from the ambiance music. Seriously. You can catch a few of the characters' hushed voices, but they may as well be reciting a recipe for apple pie and we'd be none the wiser. It's a real shame too, because this is the point in the movie when we're told what the characters' motives are. Michelle reveals what George did to her mother and why she's been tracking him down, and George tells us what he did to Michelle's mother and why. But I guess we'll never know. I'd really like to ask the producers and the sound editor what the hell they were in a rush for when they worked on the last scene of this movie and why they didn't bother checking the levels before deciding that was going to be the final cut. It's really frustrating, too, because Shelley, who had been growing fond of her grandfather throughout the movie, all of a sudden doesn't want anything to do with him. She even takes his pills from him as he crawls towards them, and when her father appears out of nowhere and tells her to call an ambulance, she lies and tells him that she already has and leaves her grandfather to die. How she finds out what he did, I'm not really sure. One minute she was is bound and gagged with duct tape in what looks like the laundry room, the next she is standing over her grandfather, somehow having been there long enough to have heard his and the nurse's exchange. And the movie ends there. We don't find out if either George or Michelle survived, or if there's ever any justice served, or even a hint at what was drowned out by poor sound editing. Nada. Complete waste of film.Don't bother with this movie. Honestly. It's a real shame too because Gene Jones does a great job playing an interesting character (veteran war hero with some serious skeletons in his closet who wants to change and be part of his son's and granddaughter's lives). The rest of the acting is pretty meh IMO. The father/daughter relationship between Peter Cilella and Hassie Harrison seems more like they're ex lovers or couple going through a rough patch. Definitely didn't feel like a father and his child when they were interacting. And Kristina Kleb's acting was alright, but just wasn't convincing enough for me. At least not for the way the film was written (which by the way also leaves way too many loose ends on top of the mystery ending caused by poor sound editing).Overall, skip this one. You aren't missing anything but frustration.