Edith+Eddie (2017)

Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.

Director:

Laura Checkoway

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 3 nominations.

Storyline

Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.

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Plot Keywords:

love | interracial | law | abuse | elderly | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Short

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Details

Official Sites:

Kartemquin Films Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Эдит+Эдди

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Heart is Red,Kartemquin Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

29 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cher saw a local news story about Edith and Eddie's case and was so moved she became involved in their lives, offering to pay for Edith Hill's medical expenses as well as costs associated with fixing up the couple's home.

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Connections

Referenced in Sean Bradley's First Reaction: 90th Academy Awards - Nominations (2018)

User Reviews

Touching, infuriating, but what's the rest of the story?

I'm not going to get deep into what other reviewers have already said about this film about an elderly couple who have their lifestyle and lives taken from them. The couple is very sweet, and seem somewhat capable, considering their advanced age. But they don't seem to be capable of being very articulate about their predicament. They are aware of what is happening, but don't seem to understand the complexity of the situation... maybe they do, but if so, it doesn't make it onto the film. One of Edith's daughters is present in the movie (and their lives) the other is not. The daughter who is present seems to be strong and articulate, and to be acting in Edith & Eddie's best interest. She did have power of attorney for Edith, but it isn't clear why she lost it. If she were present, why was power of attorney taken from her?

Also, there is no explanation of why the other daughter, the one who has Edith moved away from Eddie, is not on screen. Did she turn down offers from the filmmakers to be part of the film? Was she not given the opportunity to participate?

In the end, we can only speculate about the other side of the story. The perspective of the film is that the daughter who does not appear in the film has only self-interest in mind. But we do have some information that can inform our speculation:

• The film states that the attorney acting as Edith's advocate never met Edith. We are not given any perspective as to why that might be, but I can think of no good reason for this. How can anyone make decisions for someone without consulting with them to learn about what their needs and desires are? Or what their true situation is?
• Edith is removed from her home and placed in care of the daughter who is not represented in the film, with the promise that it is only temporary, and with the promise that Eddie may speak to her every day. The film doesn't even ask why she isn't placed in care of the local daughter, who has apparently been caring for Edith and Eddie for years. But back to those promises: Both of them are broken. Eddie is completely cut off from communication from his wife, and his wife is not returned after the two weeks.

In the end, my take is that the filmmakers probably have the correct perspective, but I am unsatisfied that so much of this story is left out. I left the film feeling infuriated that these happy, mostly healthy people were forced apart. But because they didn't tell the whole story, the part of the story that disagrees with their perspective, I feel manipulated. I feel that the filmmakers think that the public might draw a different conclusion than their own, and therefore left out any information that did not support their point of view. Perhaps they would have included the other perspective if they had more time, but it doesn't feel that way... it feels like they began with the perspective that the other point of view was just wrong, and therefore didn't deserve to be voiced.