The final days of the late, great Robin Williams are set to be explored in a new documentary entitled Robins Wish, which will follow his battle with a neurological disease.
Following his death by suicide in 2014, an autopsy revealed that Robin was actually battling Lewy Body Dementia without knowing.
“Robin’s Wish tells the powerful true story of actor/comedian Robin Williams’ final days,” the filmmakers explained. “For the first time, Robin’s fight against a deadly neurodegenerative disorder, known as Lewy Body Dementia, is shown in stunning detail. Through a gripping journalistic lens, this incredible story sheds an entirely new light on the tragedy, beauty and power behind the mind of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.”
If the trailer is anything to go by, the documentary will feature tonnes of behind-the-scenes footage of the beloved actor, as well as interviews with those closest to him. But it’ll also dive deep into the debilitating neurological condition he didn’t even know he was suffering from.
“During the last year of his life, Robin was confronted with anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, scary altered realities and a roller coaster of hope and despair. With our medical team’s care, we chased a relentless parade of symptoms but with very little gain. It wasn’t until after Robin’s passing, in autopsy, that the source of his terror was revealed: he had diffuse Lewy body disease. It was one of the worst cases medical professionals had seen,” his widow Susan Schneider Williams said in a statement regarding the documentary.
Following his tragic passing, Schneider Williams has taken it upon herself to understand and advocate for research and awareness surrounding Lewy Body Dementia. Ultimately, this lead her to work on the documentary with director Tylor Norwood.
“I set out on a mission to understand it, and that led me down my unchosen path of advocacy. With invaluable help from leading medical experts, I saw that what Robin and I had gone through finally made sense — our experience matched up with the science. And what I discovered along the way was bigger than me, and bigger than Robin. The full story was revealed during the making of this film and it holds the truth that Robin and I had been searching for.”
Robin’s Wish premieres on September 1, 2020. You can watch the full trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258xga9HsjE
This article discusses mental illness and suicide. If you’re struggling, call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636 for 24/7 counselling, or Lifeline on 13 11 12 if you are in crisis.
