Showing the extraordinary behind ordinary life
It is often said exploring the ordinary can reveal the extraordinary. And that is certainly something you could say about His & Hers, a warm, charming, often witty and at other times poignant, documentary film featuring 70 women from the midlands from first-time director Ken Wardrop, which received a rapturous reception at its Athlone premiere in a packed IMC Cinema last Thursday.
Among the attendance were many of the local participants in the feature, including Pauline Downey from St Kieran's Terrace, Kathleen Egan from Summerhill and nine-year-old Maria O'Donohoe from Walderstown, along with a number of contributors from Ballymahon.
Their presence, it must be said, really added to the whole experience of this delightful film. This was a film with real audience reaction, recognition from seeing a familiar face on screen, to the many laughs throughout and the sniffles as some of more touching moments.
Trying to describe this film, officially launched in Athlone by Deputy Mary O'Rourke, is difficult. It is essentially conversations with 70 women from the midlands about the men in their lives, be that their father, boyfriend, lover or husband in maybe one to two minute segments. Now, I know that doesn't sound like riveting stuff but to dismiss it on this basis would be foolhardy as it amounts to so much more. So simple is the idea, one wonders how no one thought of this before, but nevertheless it works a treat, seamlessly moving along from person to person capturing something about them, and their lives in a touching manner.
The playful tone is set immediately with the opening credit, an Irish proverb which goes as follows: "A man loves his girlfriend the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest". Although the men in their lives represent the main topic of conversation of the women featured, none of them ever appeared on screen. But what does emerge is an affectionate portrait of men who have many foibles, maddeningly so at times, who are not so good at the washing up or cooking but who are loved nonetheless.
Opening with a cute baby girl squirming on a mat, the award-winning film then follows chronologically through to childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age, essentially the life cycle of an Irish woman.
Interestingly, the film, although lovingly shot, rarely strays from the home as the contributors sit on the stairs or by the fireside or in their kitchen chatting away or doing household chores like ironing and cleaning. It's so-called ordinary people in what some might think of as ordinary lives. There is the teenager whose father is teaching her to drive who tells us: "I haven't knocked anyone down yet," although she does admit that the flowers did get a bashing but that was due to faulty directions on her father's part. Or the excited young girl who has been asked to the school disco by text, and cannot contain her giggles of anticipation on screen, to another girl who talks about getting married to her beau in the future.
As the film progresses, it moves on to adulthood to a woman who has moved in with her boyfriend, who talks about love and adjusting to his habits. Another contributor puts away her wedding dress and gets used to married life with two sets of clothes lines, one for his dirty sports gear and another for her alone. The observations are easy to identify with and are often hilarious and in many cases underscored by a quirky, playful soundtrack.
When youth gives way to old age, His & Hers has some of its most powerful scenes.
It's difficult not to shed a tear when you hear an elderly lad lovingly talk about the last dance with her husband before he collapses in her arms, or the other who remembers sitting by the fire with her beloved and the loneliness of the now empty chair beside her.
Although there are poignant moments, there is nothing twee about this documentary as it shows the good and bad of life and the strength of women. There are plenty of parts to smile at, as one lady tells about her quest to get to 100, the lady getting grips with driving her old tractor and another's humorous attempts to use a lap-top for the first time in old age in a bid to rebuild her life after losing her husband.
"You have touched our hearts and made us laugh and cry and now the world," a clearly proud director Ken Wardrop said of the film. "Spread the word, this film needs champions. Tell everyone in your life to go see it," he added, thanking all his wonderful participants.
His & Hers certainly deserves to be get a large audience and anyone who does will surely appreciate the woman in their life all the more.
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