ROBIN’S WISH

US, 2020, 77 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Tylor Norwood.

In 2018, four years after the death of actor and comic, Robin Williams, a tribute documentary was produced with an indicative title: Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. It was an attempt to explore how Robin Williams ticked, his intelligence, his wit, his capacity to entertain. But it also raises the issues of addictions and the consequences.

This documentary, Robin’s Wish, was released two years later. The basic insight of the film is the revelation that Robin Williams was suffering from a neurological disease, Lewy Body Dementia, but little is known about it. And, throughout the film, there are a number of medical experts who explain the condition, how it affects the brain, the psychological consequences, the influences of behaviour, seemingly erratic.

While the film does fill in a lot of the biography of Williams, is a boy, his growing up, his talent for acting, his comic talent, improvisation, his film opportunities, his life in Marine County, testimony from close friends over decades, several of his neighbours, the title highlights his wish to entertain. However, with many interviews with his wife, Susan Schneiders, the descriptions of his last years, the effect of the disease on him and day-to-day life, as well as director, Shawn Levy with extent of comment about Williams on the set of the final Night at the Museum film provide insights into what was happening in Robin Williams brain, in his mind..

Robin Williams was well liked, is admired for his screen performances, both serious and comic, never short of a word, stunning people with his capacity for improvisation. The world was saddened at the news of his death. This documentary goes some way to helping audiences understand what goes on in of life someone in the public eye, well-known from the media, but struggling with physical and psychological issues which can lead to death.