Dillon Bentlage's 'Watching Mr. Pearson' studies legacy, mortality

GILFORD — Dillon Bentlage grew up summering in Laconia, with his family. Now, he returns to the Lakes Region for a screening of his new feature film.

"Watching Mr. Pearson" will make its local premiere at Gilford Cinemas 8, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. Bentlage spent summers in the Lakes Region since 2009, and feels “truly honored” to be screening his directorial debut in Gilford.

The film, starring Hugo Armstrong, follows a retired Hollywood movie star in the last years of his life as he goes through Alzheimer’s disease.

Bentlage and his long-time film partner Simon Kincade wrote the film together. Bentlage directed the film, while Kincade was a producer. The duo began writing the script in 2023, when they both had a family member suffering from dementia.

“It just seemed like the right project for us to make at that time,” Bentlage said.

The film-making pair also wanted to portray the final years of a famous actor’s life, as those years do not draw as much attention.

“On Wikipedia, when an actor dies, it only has like two or three sentences about their death, and the last several years of your life,” Bentlage said. “Simon and I were really inspired by that, and what actors [go through] after fame.”

Bentlage grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a love of watching movies. Some of his favorites are "The Lord of the Rings," "The NeverEnding Story," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Legend of Drunken Master," and "Matilda."

“As a kid, I loved adventure films,” Bentlage said. “I think what eventually made me want to make movies was not being able to find a career as adventurous as movie-making.”

Bentlage studed cinema and media film history at Boston University. It was during a study abroad program, in Australia, where he met Kincade, and they made their first short film together.

“It was ridiculous,” Bentlage said. “It’s on Youtube, and probably has only 300 views, but it was the first time [Kincade] and I made something special together.”

Bentlage graduated from BU in 2018, and immediately moved to Amsterdam, to work in the film industry. After working as an editor for Storm postproduction for a few full-length films, he moved back to the U.S., and decided to follow through with "Watching Mr. Pearson."

The movie was shot over 15 days in June 2024, in Guilford, Connecticut. After wrapping, Bentlage went back to Amsterdam, for post-production and editing.

This year, Bentlage and Kincade have been screening the film all over the country. Their recent screenings in Connecticut sold out. Bentlage is looking forward to bringing his film to his summer-hometown.

“I’m very excited,” Bentlage said. “Any excuse to get up to the Lakes Region.”

At their screenings, Bentlage and Kincade hold Q&A sessions for the audience after the film concludes. So far, audience members who've had a loved one with Alzheimer's have felt “very connected” to the film. Audience members have shared personal stories, for which Bentlage is “very grateful.”

“A lot of people who have a family member going through the same thing have said they’ve felt seen, " Bentlage said. “That’s been a surprising, and beautiful, element of making the film. It’s really interesting to hear people’s stories.”

Bentlage and his team have specifically invited members of AARP and healthcare professionals to their screenings. The team has also hosted screenings at senior facilities, all in effort to spread awareness about Alzheimer's disease.

“The subject is heavy, but the film is very bright and uplifting,” Bentlage said. “There's a quote from the movie that says, ‘dementia and Alzheimer's only moves one way.’ [The film] is asking you to confront your own mortality, but it’s really about legacy.”

The team behind the film put together an angel ticket program for the screenings. If someone can’t attend a screening, but wants to support the film’s cause, they can buy a ticket on the film’s website, and donate it back. The ticket will be given to someone diagnosed with Alzheimer's, or a healthcare professional. Part of the proceeds of donated tickets will go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“This is all about bringing communities together, and caring for loved ones going through Alzheimer's and dementia,” Bentlage said.

To learn more information about the film, including the Gilford screening, visit watchingmrpearson.com.

“It’s fun to see a film made by a neighbor, and it’s important to support local artists,” Bentlage said.