A new feature-length documentary, “Jon Snow: A Last Big Story,” follows the investigative journalist and former Channel 4 News anchor as he lives with Alzheimer’s disease. Sources describe the film as centered on Snow’s day-to-day coping after his diagnosis, including moments with his wife, Dr Precious Lunga, and trips to family in Zambia. During one of these visits, Snow hears of an environmental catastrophe near a Chinese mining company that has received little or no reporting. The documentary then follows him as he seeks information about the incident, developing into an investigation alongside the personal challenges of memory loss.
The reports characterize the documentary’s tone as dignified and focused on Snow’s relationships and his investigative instincts, even as his condition affects his recall during filming. While the Alzheimer’s storyline progresses through the course of the project, the documentary also expands outward to address the wider implications of underreported disasters and the difficulty of uncovering the full facts when coverage is lacking. Across the reviews, the central through-lines are Snow’s declining memory and his continuing efforts to pursue what he learns to be missing from public reporting.
