América (2018)
The soulful, uplifting story of how three brothers are brought together to care for their charismatic 93- year-old grandmother América in southwest Mexico, this documentary charts how they respond to the challenges of their new adult responsibilities. Their father, who was previously her caretaker, was jailed under accusation of elder neglect after América fell from her bed. One brother believes América, despite her immobility and advanced dementia, fell willfully to bring the separated family back together. But his dream of familial cohesion fades as the brothers clash over money, communication and the considerable challenge of sharing full-time care. While they work to free their father, difficult questions take the foreground – who decides what becomes of América? And how long will they put their lives on hold to care for her?
+ Chiyo (2019) (short)
Shot using the warm textures of colour 16mm film, Chiyo is a sensuous, sensitive, gorgeous portrait of the director's grandmother, filmed in and around her home in the Japanese suburbs.
Director Chiemi Shimada will be present to introduce her film before the screening.
Presented by Wavelength
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América
dir. Erick Stoll, Chase Whiteside
year: 2018
country: USA
run-time: 76 minutes
Chiyo (Short)
dir: Chiemi Shimada
year: 2019
country: UK/Japan
run-time: 13 mins
Doors 18:45
Film 19:15
£6.00 (£4.50 conc.)
“An honest, intimate treatise on kindness, América is a film about what it means to have the best years of your life interrupted by the duty of care, and what’s more, to want that to happen”
“Blows up an intimate family portrait on to a large, cinematic canvas ****”
“An astonishingly tender, intense observational film”
“One of those rare non-fiction treasures that seems so effortless yet so complex”
“A sublime, magical masterpiece. It is rare to see so much life on screen”