[...] each time someone makes a film about a person with Alzheimer's disease, it is likely to break your heart all over again. There is a built-in and invariable "plot," if you will, for any film about a person with Alzheimer's. Pam White knew Alzheimer's before she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at 61: [...] Pam grew into a beautiful young woman who was an actress and a model. Pam's children, including younger son Luke and daughter Devon, work tirelessly to keep Pam's mind as active as possible. Loved oned as strangers"The Genius of Marian" is a very personal film - the Whites are well off, and live in a beautiful home near the ocean. Pam sits by the window at a distance, observing her family as if they're no more than strangers on a bus. David Wiegand is The San Francisco Chronicle's executive features editor and TV critic.