Synopsis
In the style of a film diary, this documentary immerses us in the personal experience of the filmmaker and his sister as they try to ensure their mother can end her days with dignity in the CHSLD system. Amid this complex challenge, Denys Desjardins films his mother with incredible tenderness. He communicates her vulnerability and warm personality from a place of love and respect. This feature-length film is a continuation of the documentary work on the housing of seniors that the filmmaker began in his previous film The Castle, in the web series L’industrie de la vieille$$e and in the web fiction experience 2031.Quebec.
A word from Tënk
"I adore my mother. She’s the first lady of my life," says filmmaker Denys Desjardins about his mother Madeleine. Now that she’s older and unable to live on her own anymore, it is his turn to take care of her. Together with his sister Maryse, Denys makes the difficult decision to find a long-term care home for Madeleine, who is increasingly losing her memory. Many frustrating phone calls later, Maryse manages to place Madeleine in a care home. Shot in the style of a video journal, Desjardins’s film uses an empathic lens and his own tender observations to tell the story of his family’s struggle with navigating the Quebec healthcare system. Their story becomes emblematic of the rest of the country and its shocking failure to take care of our elderly. Touching, tender and engrossing, this portrait of a family under duress shines a light on an urgent and necessary subject.
Aisha Jamal
Programmer, Hot Docs
