I gotta say, this movie and I? Not operating on the same wavelength. I can't really call it a good movie, or a bad movie, or talk much about what works or doesn't because I had a really hard time really getting into the flow of it.
Basically, this movie is a sort of neo-cinema verite movie about a janitor who works in an assisted living center. He is by all designs a screw up, but he means a lot to the patients, especially one who has a son that abandoned her to go to Australia. The key moment that really matters for their relationship is when the priest sits down and discusses faith. The rest of it is like half of a documentary and half of a fiction movie, though in this case two halves don't make a whole; they make two halves.
Now, it's very clear that the filmmaker cared a lot about presenting the home without bias and from a realist perspective. It's also clear that he legitimately cares about the people involved on every level; nobody is really vilified and even any potential antagonists are given their dignity and humanity.
However, all this movie did for me is remind me why most people don't want to grow old. Todd, frankly, is not an interesting enough character to carry the story, and the other lead has some very uncomfortable moments that basically make euthanasia seem like good advice. What I'm not clear on is if there is a real message about the situation of assisted living. I'm not even very clear why the filmmaker chose to make this story, and why in this style. All I can say is that it's a unique concept and he at least kept away from being invasive.
--PolarisDiB
Basically, this movie is a sort of neo-cinema verite movie about a janitor who works in an assisted living center. He is by all designs a screw up, but he means a lot to the patients, especially one who has a son that abandoned her to go to Australia. The key moment that really matters for their relationship is when the priest sits down and discusses faith. The rest of it is like half of a documentary and half of a fiction movie, though in this case two halves don't make a whole; they make two halves.
Now, it's very clear that the filmmaker cared a lot about presenting the home without bias and from a realist perspective. It's also clear that he legitimately cares about the people involved on every level; nobody is really vilified and even any potential antagonists are given their dignity and humanity.
However, all this movie did for me is remind me why most people don't want to grow old. Todd, frankly, is not an interesting enough character to carry the story, and the other lead has some very uncomfortable moments that basically make euthanasia seem like good advice. What I'm not clear on is if there is a real message about the situation of assisted living. I'm not even very clear why the filmmaker chose to make this story, and why in this style. All I can say is that it's a unique concept and he at least kept away from being invasive.
--PolarisDiB