A Conversation with Leah Nelson and Producers Lauren Miller Rogen & Vicky Patel About Portraying Alzheimer’s in the Animated Film ‘Tangles’ at Cannes

EXCLUSIVE: Canadian director Leah Nelson and producer Lauren Miller Rogen found a deeply personal connection to Sarah Leavitt’s graphic memoir, Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me, as they prepared to adapt the poignant narrative into an animated film. Their film, entitled Tangles, will world premiere on May 14 as a Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival.

The story follows Sarah, an artist and activist who must return to her conservative hometown in the 1990s after learning that her mother, Midge, is showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. As her mother’s vibrant personality fades, Sarah grapples with the emotional toll of this life-altering revelation.

This bittersweet film, which will also compete at Annecy next month, features prominent voice talent, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen, Samira Wiley, and Beanie Feldstein, who voices the lead character, Sarah. International rights to the film are being shopped by Charades, while CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group are handling domestic distribution.

Nelson, Miller Rogen, and producer Vicky Patel each have personal ties to Alzheimer’s. Nelson’s grandmother suffered from dementia at the time she began working on the project. Miller Rogen’s mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at just 55, and she also lost her grandparents to the disease. Patel’s father was diagnosed in 2003. This shared experience inspired the team significantly as they developed their adaptation.

“That’s exactly what it feels like when your loved one is diagnosed with a disease like this, especially at a young age,” Miller Rogen stated. “The ground feels like it is literally crumbling beneath you. The visual style of this graphic novel brought that fear to life in a way that wasn’t heavy-handed.” She emphasized that this delicate representation resonated deeply, offering insight into the experiences of many families.

Both Miller Rogen and Patel have remained actively involved in the Alzheimer’s community. In 2012, the couple founded Hilarity for Charity, a nonprofit aiding families affected by the disease. Patel, leading Monarch Media, has become a significant fundraiser for brain science research after her father’s diagnosis.

Upon reading Nelson’s script, Patel was transported back to the initial announcement of her father’s diagnosis. “It’s a time of great sadness and confusion and you look for any sort of guidance,” she shared. Fortuitously, she found support in the Alzheimer’s Association’s local office.

Navigating the adaptation process proved challenging for Nelson, who noted that the source material consists of memories and vignettes. To refine the screenplay, she collaborated with co-writer Trev Renney for a more structured approach, drawing extensively from both the memoir and Sarah’s personal experiences.

While incorporating Sarah’s artwork into the film, Nelson recognized the need to develop a more cinematic visual style suited to a feature-length format. French illustrator and animation director Manddy Wyckens was brought on board to enhance the project’s artistic direction.