Edith+Eddie

The Oscar Award winning documentary short, 'Edith and Eddie', is an emotional story of an elderly bi-racial marriage. The couple is faced by a variety of depressing situations, which are slowly tearing them apart. Conflict evolves between sisters, over caring for their aging Mother. As Edith was diagnosed with dementia, her self-care was taken out her hands. The disease then stopping Edith from making decisions about her own life. Edith and Eddie fall in-love at the age of 95 and 96. As they are of two different races, they have people fighting against their relationship. Set in America, the directors have been able to persuade the audience emotionally through the use of symbolism, settings and camera angles. The two different races are conveyed through extreme close ups, viewing the close bond between two people of different colour skin. We view blackouts, symbolising many traumatising events and moments of loss. The documentary allows us a "Window into their lives", giving us an understanding of what Edith and Eddie are experiencing. Edith and Eddie are religious, relying on God to be their guide to keep their relationship alive. Their religious community acts as a support network for their relationship, as they lack support from authority. I believe the documentary successfully conveys the feeling of sorrow for Edith and Eddie. Yet, it leaves the audience clueless about the other side of the truth. As the directors presented an explicit "Good guy and Bad guy", we are left with unanswered questions about their stories. As a viewer, the documentary gave me a sense of hope for the aging couple. I was captured as the story hit the climax, a tear swelling in my eye; they never lost hope or gave up. I had a clear view of which characters supported Edith and Eddie, and which ones didn't. I recommend this documentary for a mature audience, as there may be some confronting themes. An emotional story of a loving couple, through a challenging time of their life. This documentary shows many moments of loss and sadness, yet so much hope.

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.

The Academy Award-nominated "Edith+Eddie" focuses on an interracial couple in Virginia. But unlike a number of interracial couples, these two got married in their 90s. And then comes the unpleasant issues with their families.

I like seeing movies and documentaries about stories that we rarely get to see, and that includes this one. The documentary is at once both happy (the couple manages to have a loving relationship) and sad (the families intervene). I would be interested to know what became of the characters after the story ended.

Good one!

The documentary Edith + Eddie is a story of the oldest interracial couple fighting to stay together in a rush of family drama. This documentary has a theme of the rights of the elderly, the influence of racial issues, and the power of love. Yes, the film, at its core, is a love story between a couple desperate to stay together despite a family feud. The themes of inter-racialism and ageism are applied light enough to get the true message of love across. The camera often focuses on moments and icons that enforce those themes, and there is usually a lack of music to allow you to focus better on the conversations. However, I was concerned that there was a lack of information regarding the feud of the family. There was a mention of one daughter involved, but the other two are flat out not included at all. Whether they refused to have a speaking role, or weren't invited to star at all, may never be known. I understand that the feud has lasted for years, and that there's too much information to fit into twenty-nine minutes, but a mention of the true story at least would have made it better. Another problem I have with this documentary is how it villainizes certain characters, particularly the ones responsible for driving apart the couple. The characters are presented in a black and white situation, but life is rarely like this. No. This is a situation shaded with different greys. Whoever had the best solution for Edith and Eddie's issue might remain undecided forever. The question is who is to blame? This ties back with the feud of the family. Everyone had his or her own mindset on how to deal with the problem, and this had devastating results that drove the family apart. This is never mentioned, and I have to criticise this documentary for its lack of truth. This was still a good documentary, though. Beautifully moving, and brilliantly presented. The inclusion of many symbols of racial issues, along with the message of how we treat the older people in our society, makes this documentary incredibly powerful. Older viewers are more likely to enjoy this as, coming from experience, younger audiences will find legal battles boring. With all that in mind, this still is a sweet and tragic documentary. It has a brilliant representation about the injustice on the elders in our world, but a little more information about the family's situation would be nice.

The documentary Edith and Eddie conveys the relationship between an interracial couple as well as the rights of the elderly. The filmmaker conveys these ideas by the use of symbolism for example; religious iconography that reinforces that Jesus is their only hope. The audio and mesmerizing music behind it makes a film that shows what a journey Edith and Eddie have been on. I feel the documentary has not put enough detail into the short film and that there is more background information.e.g. Family dynamics. The documentary made me feel confused and upset. I questioned myself and asked myself why they would try to pull them apart. I would recommend the documentary to others so they understand the rights of elderly and interracial couples. I do not think many people would enjoy it because it is a bit slow moving and hard to understand. It is more for Adults not for children that do not get bored easy.