OLD?! from K-Rose Productions on Vimeo.
Katherine Roselli was in her 60s and getting ready to retire as a physical therapist when she decided she wanted to make a documentary. A few years and four films later, Roselli recently premiered “Old?!,” which asks some 70 people as young as two and as old as 90 what “old” really means, and how they see the life journey of aging.
Who better to ask that question than someone who started over when many people are winding down!
Along the way, Roselli’s subjects share their sometimes funny, often inspiring stories, as well as their perspectives. Watch the film, then read our Q&A with Roselli, where she talks about becoming a filmmaker, the making of “old?!” and a whole lot more.
Click here to read “The Making of a Late-Life Filmmaker — and Her Film on Aging”
What is “old?!” Let us know in the comments section below!
COMMENTS
17 responses to ““Old!?” A Thought-Provoking Film Asks What It Means”
Old people talking to each other are not so old.
Well stated! Thanks Michael for taking the time to take a look at my film and comment.
Hello, I just came across your film and watched. It is amazing! It made me laugh as well as take pause. I’m 64 and like so many others, I don’t know where the years have gone. I don’t feel, in my heart and mind that I’m nearly this old!. Thank you so much for your efforts and I’ll send this along to others who will enjoy it. I appreciate the fresh opinions from those who are not only young people but those even older than I.
Thanks so much Jan for your comment. I love knowing folks are still finding the film on Senior Planet and enjoying it. So happy you feel like sharing it too. Cheers!
Several weeks ago my mother in law aged 99 living at home and quite healthy called me up in NYC from North Carolina to
ask me what TV station a college football game was on that she cared to watch , I looked up her NC cable provider in a second on my computer located and told her the right channel . My Mom in law lives truly only in the present.
Kathy and I were physical therapy students together at Stanford long long ago and I had no idea she had taken on a whole new career post-retirement. This is a marvelous film; parts of it moved me to tears. I loved the comments from one man in his 50’s about hoping he was at the half-way point of his life but not knowing if perhaps he was closer to the end instead. Kathy captured so many emotions and viewpoints of the young and old about their own personal aging, that of loved ones, and the wider concept of what “Old” means. Since retiring from my general pediatric practice in 2010, I’ve been working with indigenous people living in extreme poverty in rural Guatemala. It would be fascinating to see this same film done but with the interviews taking place among the people there. I wonder what differences one would encounter.
After just watching this excellent film, my heart is full and my spirit uplifted. I’m 58 years old and have been recently challenged by fears related to aging. Ms. Roselli, if you read this, please know you have inspired me to change my perspective and get moving on with what really is a beautiful life. I’m equally inspired by the fact that you began making films in your fifties. I’m so glad you did. Well done!
Hi Gigi,
Wow. I am thrilled that you were inspired by OLD?! to shift your perspective on aging. I do believe the wisdom each person shared adds up to a powerful message about living life fully. BTW, the interviewer got my age wrong. I became a filmmaker in my 60s!!!
Thank you Cathy for taking the time to watch OLD?! Yes, we were fellow students way way back and our respective career paths have served us well. When I showed the film to a Swiss cousin in May he wondered about doing the same film in Switzerland/Europe. He felt the folks would not be so optimistic. It would indeed be interesting to take on the same topic in a different culture!
Cheers – here’s to continued healthy aging wherever we find ourselves!
Super great film. We just had a meetup discussion on intergenerational communication and it will be a perfect follow-up for my members. Thanks for all you do
Thanks Sandy for your comment. When folks see OLD?! in a group it often leads to ntrospection and sharing. Very cool!
So happy that I took the time to watch this film. Very touching, simply wonderful.
Thanks you Nancy for making time to watch OLD?! Glad you enjoyed it. It was a labor of love which could not have been completed without the assistance of my editor Claudia Ballard!
How beautiful to see and hear how perspective evovles with maturity, without regard to age.
The spirit of the filmmaker comes through her work and the people she interviews. I saw this in San Francisco at a film festival on aging. Kathy’s film was the one that expanded through the entire life cycle with all perspectives. I also had the privilege of working with Kathy in Stanford NICU and in a home visiting program monitoring the developmental program of very premature infants (and the well-being of their parents). Her respect for those little ones new to the world was evident; she listened/observed deeply.
Thank you Charlene. Loved our tine together with the premature babies. We honed our observation skill together. Helped to inform me for my filmmaking!
Thank you Nancy for taking the time to watch my film. I, too, appreciated the perspectives of the interviewees of all ages. It was lots of fun!
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