What is Before The Fog? How did it come to be?
Before The Fog is a short narrative film that explores the emotional experience of young-onset (or early-onset) dementia. The film follows a young mother who is diagnosed with the disease and is forced to make the heartbreaking decision to give up custody of her child. The story explores identity, motherhood, memory, and the quiet resilience of holding onto presence, even as pieces of yourself begin to drift away.
The film was made with a small, passionate team bound by a personal connection to dementia. My role, as creator, co-writer, and actor, comes after losing 3 grandparents to the disease. Director Kirk Murray brought deep sensitivity shaped by his own family’s journey, while producer Roy Shellef guided the project with vision and authenticity. Cinematographer Nick Azzaro captured the quiet intimacy of memory and perception, bringing emotional resonance to every frame. Together, we crafted a film where every choice from the stillness of the camera to the softness of the light reflects the inner world of someone slowly slipping away, while showing that they are still very much present.
Through Before The Fog, I hope to offer a different perspective on dementia, one that sees the person still inside. I want this story to challenge the stigma around the disease, creating space for more compassion, curiosity, and understanding, and less fear about what dementia looks and feels like. I hope people walk away with a deeper understanding, and maybe a little more patience and gentleness in how they relate to their loved ones going through it.
Who initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
For me, it started in a very personal way. I lost 3 grandparents to dementia, including the grandmother who raised me. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what they were going through. I was young, confused and heartbroken watching the people I love slowly fade away. What stayed with me was not just the pain of losing them, but the feeling that something was still alive inside them, something I couldn’t quite reach.
Years later, those memories kept coming back. I kept wishing for a story that went beyond the medical facts. One that shows what it truly feels like to live with dementia, the emotions, the love, the small moments that matter, and still offers light and hope in a situation so often seen as only sad and tragic. That wish became the inspiration for Before The Fog.
I want to highlight young-onset because it’s often overlooked. When it strikes someone in the middle of their life, while they’re raising children and planning a future, the impact is deeply personal and different from what most people imagine. The film draws attention to that experience and gives it the recognition it deserves.
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
Creating art about dementia has profoundly shaped the way I see both my work and life. I have experienced it from the outside, as a loved one witnessing someone slowly drift away, and that perspective has deeply influenced how I approach storytelling and connection in my art. That shift has been humbling and transformative.
I no longer see aging and dementia only as decline but as a passage that can hold peace, new ways of connecting and even unexpected joy. Dementia has shown me that storytelling is not just about reflecting reality, but giving voice to those who might otherwise go unseen, and reminding us that love and dignity remain even in life’s hardest transitions.
This subject has become a lens that sharpens all my work, helping me explore humanity under pressure with deeper empathy.
What else should we know about Before The Fog?
This film is not about the disease itself; it is about the person living with it. Too often, dementia, especially young-onset dementia, is framed only in terms of loss. While loss is part of it, there is also love, humanity and moments of light that remain, even as the mind begins to drift. The person with dementia is still there, and this film is meant to honor that presence.
The hope is that Before The Fog can create conversation, awareness and compassion. For those living with dementia, it can show that they are not invisible. For caregivers, it may offer recognition and comfort. For the wider audience, it can challenge the way we view aging and memory, helping us see dignity, love and light where we might not expect them.
This work is dedicated to: This piece is dedicated to my grandmother, Beatrice Bat Zion Haimovich, whom I lost 9 years ago to dementia. She was like a mother to me, and watching her journey with the illness left a mark on my heart that I carry to this day. I also lost 2 more grandparents, Dina Bloom and Shmuel Bloom, to dementia, which made this story even more personal and close to me.
This dedication is not only to honor her memory, but also to give voice to the experience we shared, both the pain of watching her slip away and the moments of unexpected light that remained. In many ways, this film is the story I wish had existed back then, something that could have helped me feel less alone and reminded me that even in the midst of loss, love and humanity continue to live.
To learn more about Before The Fog and to support the film, visit Instagram. You can also learn more about artist Mor Ben Haim on the web or Instagram.
