2012 featured a crop of thoughtful films about the aged. Of course, one of the year’s most popular indies was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the surprisingly deep story about Brits seeking a low-budget retirement in India.
All Together works much the same territory with a French sensibility and Francophone actresses Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin.
In Robot & Frank, Frank Langella’s performance elevated a curmudgeon comedy to a revealing study of getting older.
Of course, this year’s biggest geezer film will be Amour (which most of us will be able to see on January 18, 2013); this Austrian film plumbs the ultimate issues of aging – frailty and death – and is a lead pipe cinch to win the Foreign Language Oscar.
Now before we get all misty-eyed, let’s remember that these four movies are all foreign and indies – the Hollywood studios still run screaming from scripts about people over 40. Still, this is a welcome trend, and, as Baby Boomers continue to age, I think we’ll see more and more good movies about older people.