#10 Grey Gardens (1975)

Four credited directors. The ones who filmed the footage were Albert and David Maysles.

I really want to write something about this movie because it had a big effect on me. I'm not sure what it was. The movie is a documentary about a middle-aged/elederly mother-daughter couple (Edith, and Little Edie) who live in poverty in a mansion called Grey Gardens in East Hampton. The subject matter came to the attention of the film-makers when they heard of a mother and daughter who were being threatened with eviction from their home of 50 years because they were unable to maintain it, and it had become unhealthy to live there. (You can read more about the story here.) 

Filmed in the early 70s, it really has an incredible way of bringing us closer to these strange individuals. The characters are not the lovely, wonderfully resourceful, free-spirits that I've seen written about them in other reviews. In fact, they are the kind of people that you are not so sure you would want to know in real life. There was always this strange equilibrium in my emotions between feeling sorry for them and being repulsed. The repulsion stemmed from the myriad squalor, cat shit, untidiness, disorganization and confusion at their inability to change their situation. Whether what keeps them together in that awful place as it disintegrates around them from lack of care is because of poor health, fear, mental problems or just desperation at having been the same for so many years that there is no inertia to change. The feelings of pity also stem from many of these same roots, but also come about because of a closeness that is generated as they gradually reveal themselves in front of the camera. They sing, dance, eat, fight, and continually proselytize their ideas about the world, men, social class, the problems with each other, "what could have been", etc., all in front of the cameramen. It was a very touching story. When the movie ends, after having spent 2 hours with these strange women, you can't help but feel depressed that your life goes on, while they..... well, they were still stuck where they were. And you knew that that life they led was not going to last much longer. 

 Too often documentaries try to make a point, or have an agenda. It is so nice to just see real people and get to know them through the screen. A very good movie worth seeing.