The director's mother is 90 years old—and is beginning to forget herself. Not only herself, but everything else as well. She has dementia. Only her faith and her tireless knitting of exclusively blue socks keep her alive. The director, whose relationship with his mother has been very tense throughout his life, approaches the dissolution of his mother's ego in this experimental and essayistic film with the support of Didier Eribon, Simone de Beauvoir, Norbert Elias, Jean Améry, and others. In addition to this very personal story, he also tells a universal story about the process of aging, about repression, but also about rebellion in dealing with and interacting with aging people.
Just after midnight on 10 March 1945, the US launched an air-based attack on eastern Tokyo; continuing until morning, the raid left more than 100,000 people dead and a quarter of the city eradicated. Unlike their loved ones, Hiroshi Hoshino, Michiko Kiyooka and Minoru Tsukiyama managed to emerge from the bombings. Now in their twilight years, they wish for nothing more than recognition and reparations for those who, like them, had been indelibly harmed by the war – but the Japanese government and even their fellow citizens seem disinclined to acknowledge the past.
Destroying your own artwork. For many artists it is unmentionable, but Loes Heebink from Kolderveen irreparably destroyed her artwork "Fluisteraars" herself and came up with the idea for a documentary of the same name, directed by Saskia Jeulink.
"It takes courage to accept growing old. It's the response to the cruelty of passing time that I wanted to film." (Xavier Liébard) A group of elderly people decided to live their journey through middle age to the fullest. United in the same small group for over fifteen years, they chose to share their vitality through song with others, those whom old age has excluded from the social, familial, and human experience. Against all odds, "The Joyful Companions" are active and committed to maintaining the social connections that bind them to life. But what strategies, tricks, and struggles they must invent to live old age with hope... Xavier Liébard Director, Writer
One of society’s last taboos is elderly desire, which remains strong for many: half of older adults remain sexual. Advances in medicine and lifestyle mean people in their 70s, 80s, or 90s can still explore and enjoy intimacy. Yet society often ignores this—aged bodies are deemed unattractive, and sexual desire beyond tenderness is stigmatized, sometimes leading to mistreatment in care homes where couples are separated. The documentary Vieillir et jouir sans entraves confronts this taboo. Featuring celebrities and real-life couples—including Francine and Marc (60 years together) and gay couple Jean-Marc and Alain (34 years together)—it explores aging bodies, love, sexuality, and the challenges of libido and illness. The film highlights initiatives supporting sexual expression for older adults, including LGBT-friendly housing and sex-positive care, urging society to rethink its view of aging intimacy.
With an empathetic and intimate lens, veteran filmmaker Denys Desjardins captures his elderly mother's experience of neglect in Quebec's healthcare system and his sister's fight to secure her an acceptable long-term care solution.
Za oknem...
Malandain, quand l'amour prend corps
They come from all walks of life and have lived for almost a century. They have lived through the upheavals of history. They are funny, moving and rebellious. They surprise and amaze us. Yet we rarely hear their voices. This film is an invitation to travel across France and meet them: the Old People.
Follow a cold water swimming group based in Sussex as they discuss the benefits of cold water swimming.
Dona Maria, a woman in her seventies, is alone at home with her thoughts. Abandoned by everyone—and by the life she once nurtured with such labor and passion—she now lives off her memories, her only companions, of a time when everyone was happy and she, besides being a renowned painter, was a whole, fulfilled woman.
In the not-so-distant future stands a castle where life can be eternally extended, provided that the residents take their pills. At age 88, Madeleine sees herself as the princess of the castle where she'll live "till her dying breath"... until the day that she is forced to leave. Disturbing tale of an endearing woman at the dawn of losing her bearings in a system where every elderly person have to find a place to live.
Picture yourself closing in on 100 years, and that you are truly happy and content. That you still are curious on all the little things in life. That you find happiness in the small things. That you are driven by the love to your life’s sweetheart. Go all in and allow yourself to feel how it is to be alive, right here and now. How Alf, soon to turn 100 years, might be a source of inspiration. Maybe he has the secret recipe?
François, Renée, Gisèle, Sylvain. These seniors do not have much in common, but their lives have been shaped by episodes of abandonment, rejection, or fear. Some still live in invisibility, afraid of how others will look at them. Loneliness weighs heavily. For others, living with HIV has worn down their bodies, and old age arrives more quickly. Then there is a hope: that of a house in Lyon where they will finally be able to be themselves. A place where it will be possible to grow old without ever having to hide again. There is that family we choose for ourselves. The feeling that a new chapter is opening—the last one—filled with promise, and with the boldness of all those first times we finally allow ourselves, so late in life. But when it comes to becoming visible, the fears accumulated over a lifetime are never far away. And they come to pull our courageous dreamers back from their dream: should they take the leap?
Antonio is 92 years old and lives on his own in Penàguila, a small Spanish village in the Mediterranean mountains. In his old age, he spends his days enjoying the good weather on the patio, doing minimal tasks, and teaching things to younger generations. His old age sets the pace in a village where he has lived all his life and where his past is around him, like the family restaurant or the fields he used to harvest. The arrival of the cold winter will change it all.
An explanation of social security, survivors’ insurance and other benefit systems, encouraging workers to file for their social security cards.
96-year-old clarinet master Grigoris Kapsalis, the last living musician of a generation that shaped the music of Epirus, has long been an integral part of the local village feast. In this final encounter at his home, he offers glimpses into a lifetime devoted to music; meanwhile, preparations for the annual feast begin in the village square.
Give Me the End You're At
With her short red hair, expressive face, vitality, and playful acting style, Shirley MacLaine stands out in the Hollywood pantheon. Driven by a volcanic personality and iron discipline inherited from classical dance, she has constantly reinvented herself, from the girl next door to the eccentric old lady she plays on screen today, proving at 91 that there is a place for actresses of all ages. A refreshing portrait featuring film clips and archival footage, particularly those in which this talk show regular exercises her sharp wit.
Une Place pour Eux ? Vieillir avec la Trisomie 21