Bicycle, Spoon, Apple

(Bicicleta, cullera, poma)

Carles Bosch / Spain / 2010 / 105 min
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Catalan & Spanish with English subtitles

As both the former mayor of Barcelona and former president of Catalonia, Pasqual Maragall has been a popular leader for the people of Spain. In 2007, this charismatic public figure was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Bicycle, Spoon, Apple is an up-close and personal account of his decision to go public with this revelation, of his steadfast determination to beat the disease, and of the strength and support of his family (including his optimistic wife Diana Garrigosa) during his struggle to fight it. Following Maragall for two years, director Carles Bosch (who helmed the Oscar®-nominated documentary filmBalseros) creates an intimate portrait of the man and his family, expanding his focus to doctors and scientists for a more complete picture of Alzheimer’s, its myths, and the current state of research. The title comes from three words used to test patients’ memories, and is used in one of the more affecting scenes in which we see the stoic Maragall crumble ever so slightly when he can’t recall them. By bringing us so deep into the life of an Alzheimer’s sufferer, Bosch demystifies the disease—resulting in a documentary that’s sure to leave viewers forever changed.

About the Director
Carles Bosch directed the Oscar®-nominated Balseros, which won a variety of international awards including an Emmy, a Peabody and those of a number of world-class festivals. His documentary feature Septembers was an IDFA finalist and took prizes at Miami and Malaga. Bycicle, Spoon, Apple, received the Goya, the Gaudí and the José María Forqué awards for Best Documentary of the Year. His work as a veteran reporter for 30 Minuts (TV3, Spain) has taken him to the doorstep of major world events: the first Gulf War, the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo and the Zapatista Revolution. Bosch has also chased stories in such countries as Afghanistan, Iran, Chad, Mozambique, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Israel, among others.
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