Since I fit in the demographic, I like to check out the way shorts treat aging and the changes that come with years that have piled up. The “Golden Age” section at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival had several different perspectives. I find it a bit curious how woman-focused the group of films are.
A Friend of Dorothy (21 minutes) directed by Lee Knight. A widow lives alone doing her crosswords and trying to open her canned prunes. When a young man kicks his football into her yard, she asks him to help her with the can. He’s amazed at all the books she has, and she lets him start with a play about AIDS. Soon he’s coming daily to act out scenes. He liked acting in school, but never thought of it as a career. Then comes the reading of the will, attended by the boy and the woman’s twit grandson. This is a story about intergenerational friendship, of wisdom, and of legacy. Very good cast including Mariam Margolyes and Stephen Fry.
Gloria (9 minutes) directed by Kim Blanck. Another widow living alone. This one, a Chinese woman in San Francisco. Her son isn’t fond of her living alone. Her day consists of keeping track of her walks. To deal with her memory issues, she decides to teach herself Spanish, and try out her new words on the young man working at the local bodega.
Beatrix Is Invisible (16 minutes) directed by Alex Farias. A woman is feeling that her life has been insignificant. It seems like everyone treats her as unimportant. Finally, she decides to step out of her comfort zone where she will be seen in new ways.
Linda, Linda (17 minutes) directed by Kiyan Agadjani. Octogenarian Linda reminisces about her exciting life fifty years ago when she and her boyfriend Tony robbed banks in Ireland. Then, one day, he left her. But now, he shows up again wanting to do one last job.
It’s Our Ball (9 minutes) directed by David Morrison. This doc looks at the Pasadena Senior Women’s Basketball League—a group of women who come together to play each week. They all have different reasons for their passion for the game.
