Memory Loss In Stefan Komandarev's Film 'The World'

Does your past define you and shape you into the person you are today? That is an important question to ask about someone who is suffering from amnesia or memory loss. Sasha, in Stefan Komandarev’s film The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Just Around the Corner, experiences memory loss after his family 's big car crash in the beginning of the film. He can’t remember a single thing about himself before the crash and can’t remember who anyone is. So if our past experiences shape us into the person we are today do people who suffer from amnesia or memory loss have an identity. Sasha did not have an easy childhood and was affected by trauma at an early age. What he faced, in most countries people will never have to experience. However, millions …show more content…
He comes to realize that Sasha’s life was also a mess before the accident. Sasha is translating vacuum cleaner manuals and lives in a filthy home by himself. The memory loss could be a blessing in disguise for Sasha because here is his shot to start over. He remembers very little before the accident and now has this chance to change the direction of his life. He can alter his identity completely and he does this with Grandpa’s six step plan. Grandpa and him go on this journey back to Bulgaria to see grandma and Sasha in a sense finds himself on this journey without ever knowing who he was before. As humans we try to use our past experiences to gain knowledge into the future and we will most likely go with what is familiar and comfortable to us. Sasha doesn’t have this option and bikes across several countries with his grandfather, but this is what helps him create his new and ultimately better …show more content…
We are encouraged to think about how the brain interacts in social situations. The brain is such a controlling and important part of our everyday life, and in context with this film is so important for our mental health and with social interactions. Bai Dan in the film keeps bringing up the game backgammon and compares the game to life. He says “to think outside the box and find a way out. Play the game and you might just win.” Life is constantly going to throw situations at you and no one can see them coming. How one deals with these situations and in a sense “plays” the game of life will determine the quality of your life. In the film, the hospital gives Sasha anti-depressants to help him go through this terrible tragedy, but his grandpa doesn’t agree with this method. He seems to think the people in the hospital don’t care about him and that he needs to get out and clear his brain. He needs to take over the situation that has risen and find his way