There’s a moment in the documentary Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember where the actor, best known as Thor in the Avengers movies, can barely contain his emotions.
Looking at a picture of himself at the age of three with his young dad Craig in the Australian Outback, he chokes up slightly as he remarks: ‘I can see such love in that photograph.’
Viewers will no doubt be startled by how much of a mirror image Craig is of his son.
But for Chris, it’s the look his father is giving him that carries most weight, as he says: ‘It tells me that little boy is the only thing that exists in that moment.’
It’s a touching reminiscence, made even more so by the fact that Craig Hemsworth, 70, has early-stage Alzheimer’s.
The effects of the disease have become more noticeable in the past two years, and having long discussed taking a road trip together the pair finally take the plunge – riding their motorbikes across Australia to revisit Chris’s childhood homes.
There’s a moment in the documentary Chris Hemsworth : A Road Trip To Remember where the actor best known as Thor in the Avengers movies can barely contain his emotions
Looking at a picture of himself at the age of three with his young dad Craig in the Australian Outback, he chokes slightly as he remarks: ‘I can see such love in that photograph’
The effects of the disease have become more noticeable in the past two years, and having long discussed taking a road trip together the pair finally take the plunge – riding their motorbikes across Australia to revisit Chris’s childhood homes
Their journey is more than a ride through their past though, it’s also part of Craig’s ‘reminiscence therapy’, which it’s hoped will strengthen his brain.
‘We know that revisiting past experiences by talking to someone or using objects and places from the past is a great way to boost cognition,’ explains Alzheimer’s specialist Dr Suraj Samtani. ‘This is what we call reminiscence therapy.’
An incurable disease that affects memory and behaviour, Alzheimer’s can be devastating for those afflicted as well as for their families, so handling the subject with sensitivity was the filmmakers’ primary concern.
‘We had lots of conversations about what kind of manifestations of the illness we’d see on camera,’ says director Tom Barbor-Might. ‘We’d also stop the scene if the family felt they needed a break.’
The pair make their first pit stop at the old Hemsworth family home in Melbourne where Chris, now 42, spent his teenage years.
During one scene Craig repeatedly asks where his wife Leonie is, even though he’s already been told she’ll be arriving later.
It’s hard to watch, not least because Chris looks visibly upset. ‘I think it was the first time on the trip he was displaying his Alzheimer’s,’ he says.
‘We did debate about putting in those difficult moments,’ admits Tom, ‘but the family wanted the reality to be there.’
Craig Hemsworth (L), 70, has early-stage Alzheimer’s and it plays a key role in the new documentary
Their journey is more than a ride through their past though, it’s also part of Craig’s ‘reminiscence therapy’, which it’s hoped will strengthen his brain.
While both Chris and his dad are the rugged centre of the film, it’s Leonie, Craig’s wife of 44 years, who provides its heart.
‘As a partner, it’s difficult because I want him to be the person he was and I want that relationship,’ she sobs in the documentary.
‘Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and it can be terrifying to think, “Where’s it all going?”
Father and son then travel further back into their past, arriving at Bulman – an indigenous town deep in the Northern Territory where that photo of Chris and his dad was taken.
It was where Craig worked as a bull-catcher, rounding up feral cattle that had escaped from their herds. Here, reminiscing with his old friends proves particularly helpful for Craig.
‘Research shows us that reuniting with old friends is uniquely protective against cognitive decline compared to talking to family,’ explains Dr Samtani.
Father and son then travel further back into their past, arriving at Bulman – an indigenous town deep in the Northern Territory where that photo of Chris and his dad was taken
Underpinning it all, though, is a poignant note. While filming his 2022 series Limitless, Chris learned he had two copies of the APOE4 gene – one from each parent – meaning he was eight to ten times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s
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‘Family members know our likes and dislikes, whereas it’s more of a workout for the brain when we talk to friends because we have to remember distant information.’
There are some lovely lighter moments in the film. An old video of Chris’s first homemade movie – Crocidile [sic] Hunter – shows the teen’s latent star quality (He jokes: ‘It was that and then Thor – a small leap!’).
Underpinning it all, though, is a poignant note. While filming his 2022 series Limitless, Chris learned he had two copies of the APOE4 gene – one from each parent – meaning he was eight to ten times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
And though he says in the documentary he is ‘far more focused on my dad’, it’s hard not to wonder how the road trip coloured his fears for the future.
For Craig, who was so physically capable throughout his life, the prospect remains of him having to lean on others for his care as the disease progresses.
As father and son sit around a campfire, Craig admits his biggest issue is that he’ll become a burden. ‘You’re not going to be a burden, mate,’ Chris says softly.
‘It’s two Aussie blokes’ version of, “I love you so much”, says Tom. ‘It’s a really special moment.’
Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip To Remember, from Monday, Disney+, and Monday, 9pm, National Geographic.
