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crones
harold and maude
Harold's name may be first but it's Maude (Ruth Gordon) who steals the show
as feisty octogenarian who teaches the morbidly suicidal Harold a few things
about life and a lot more about love. A bonus to this flick is the bubbly
sing-along soundtrack by a pre-Islam Cat Stevens. [us]
driving miss daisy
In her Oscar-winning performance, Jessica Tandy subverts the old biddy
stereotype as a proud old Southern woman forced to abandon the wheel after she
plows her car into a neighbour's yard. The movie, which also won an Oscar for
best picture in 1990, explores a 25-year friendship between Miss Daisy and her
African-American chauffeur. In this moving portrait of aging, Tandy shows her
astonishing range as she ages from a feisty 70-year-old to an increasingly
fragile and senile old woman.[us, 1989]
live bait
With a nod to Harold and Maude, this charming film has a confused Gen Xer
muddling his way through school, home, and love. Things perk up when he falls
for a sixty-something sculptor (Micki Maunsell). Crisp and sweet as a fall
apple. [canada]
strangers in good company
An unlikely group of septuagenarian and octogenarian women find themselves
stranded in an abandoned farmhouse when a bus breaks down. It doesn't sound like
much of a premise, but it's fascinating to watch the characters interact in this
small Quebec film. Most unbelievable is that none of the women are actors. Okay,
now it sounds even worse, but this really is a lovely film about aging,
relationships, and survival. [canada]
the trip to bountiful
Geraldine Page twinkles in this adapted stageplay about a woman who needs to
return to her roots in Bountiful, Texas before she dies. Her attempts to make
the trip are continually thwarted by her passive son and self-centered
daughter-in-law. It's a simple film with a simple message about aging with
dignity, and living for today. [us]
jupiter's wife
An intriguing documentary about a woman living with numerous dogs in Central
Park. The woman talks in Greek mythology and will only admit that she is the
wife of Jupiter who is sometimes wrathful, and has now left her. Over time, we
and the filmmaker discover that this now transient woman was once the first
female horse drawn carriage driver in Central Park, and was a mystery guest on
What's My Line. This film presents a view to a life that astonished even the
filmmaker. [us]
amargosa
While driving across the country in the 1960’s, dancer and artist Marta Beckett and her husband Tom Williams, got a flat tire in Death Valley Junction (pop. 10, nearest town 30 miles). During the hour it took to fix the flat, Marta and Tom decided to lease an old theatre and settle in town. Marta has resided in this isolated desert town ever since---restoring the theatre, composing, creating, and performing. Marta, now well into her 70’s, performs regularly at the Amargosa Opera House, every inch of it covered with murals from her own imagination. This story of the passion of one individual is at times amazing and always entertaining. [us, 1999]
iris
Although at surface this is the tragic story of a stunning mind lost to the debilitation of Alzheimer’s disease,
it is truly a meditation on love, commitment, and the inevitable truth that we all will grow old, ugly, and dependent.
Three Oscar-nominated performances are turned in by Dame Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, and Jim Broadbent, in this love-letter
to great British writer Iris Murdoch. The interplay between the fire of the young Iris, played by Winslet, and the wisdom
but then incoherence of the aging Iris, played by Dench, is especially well conceived. [uk, 2001]
ladies in lavender
We could have put this in Dames because it has two: Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith star in this story of two sisters, Ursula and Janet, whose
simple existence is turned on its ear when an injured young man washes up on their beach. Ursula (Dench) is a spinster, and Janet (Smith) a
war widow, so it has been some time since a man was in their lives. The presence of the vivacious young man stirs up long forgotten
feelings in Ursula, and tensions arise in the household. Delicately acted and beautifully shot, this film has the added delight of
seeing these two formidable actors comfortably together. Smith plays true to role with arched superiority, but Dench is the real
marvel of this movie, showing the blush of young love as it is reflected in old age. [UK, 2005]
the triplets of belleville
In this weirdly animated romp from the countryside of France to the back alleys of New York, a young Tour De France hopeful is kidnapped
by an evil American millionaire. His grandmother and his dog, travel to NYC (via paddleboat) to rescue him, and are taken in
and aided by the famous French singing group "The Triplets of Belleville", now in their dotage and living on scavenged frogs.
A triumph of four old women and a dog over the French mafia! Although this is an animate film, it's quite dark and not recommended for young children. [canada/france, 2004]
mrs. palfrey at the claremont
Widow Sarah Palfrey moves into the full-service Claremont hotel in London so as not to be a burden on her daughter, but also to be closer to her grandson, Desmond. Despite a number of calls, Desmond never
visits. However a series of accidents brings a "fake grandson" into her life by way of an attractive struggling writer. This gentle
tale of friendship, love, and the meaning of family will enchant you. Joan Plowwright delights as Sarah, finally coming into her own near the end of her life. [UK/US, 2006]
notes on a scandal
This snapshot of interpersonal relationships between women is a swiftly moving and tightly crafted story
flawlessly acted by Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, that sometimes feels almost like a thriller. Cate is a bourgeous artist, slightly
over her head as an art teacher at a lower class school. She is befriended by Judi Dench, an almost retired teacher, who when she
learns of Cate's character's indiscretions with a 15-year old student uses it to her advantage to practically trap the other woman in friendship.
While we do take slight issue with the "evil lesbian crone" stereotype, Dame Dench plays her with such aplomb we'll overlook it.
[UK, 2006]
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