Young at Heart
May. 26th, 2008 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fauxkloreI got enough household stuff done to feel somewhat justified in going out to a movie. Young at Heart was playing conveniently nearby (at the Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax) and proved to be a fine choice.
This is a documentary about the Young at Heart chorus of Northampton, Massachusetts, a group of senior citizens who have performed all over the world. What makes them interesting is that, instead of performing the old standards you might expect from a group of people in their 70's and 80's, they sing a mix of rock, punk, and r&b songs. The movie traces their preparation for a concert, as they struggle to learn new songs and cope with the deaths of two members. Their director, Bob Cilman, is sometimes frustrated but you can tell how much he loves working with the group - and how much they love both singing and one another.
One common problem with documentaries does rear its head, as director Stephen Walker's interaction with the people he is filming sometimes feels intrusive. I'm also not sure why he so often films members in cars and has so much footage of traffic. But those flaws don't keep this from being a warm and inspiring movie, full of laughs and tears.
This is a documentary about the Young at Heart chorus of Northampton, Massachusetts, a group of senior citizens who have performed all over the world. What makes them interesting is that, instead of performing the old standards you might expect from a group of people in their 70's and 80's, they sing a mix of rock, punk, and r&b songs. The movie traces their preparation for a concert, as they struggle to learn new songs and cope with the deaths of two members. Their director, Bob Cilman, is sometimes frustrated but you can tell how much he loves working with the group - and how much they love both singing and one another.
One common problem with documentaries does rear its head, as director Stephen Walker's interaction with the people he is filming sometimes feels intrusive. I'm also not sure why he so often films members in cars and has so much footage of traffic. But those flaws don't keep this from being a warm and inspiring movie, full of laughs and tears.
