Documentary "Edith+Edddie" Premiers at True/False Filmfest in Missouri

Two lovers against the world. A relationship trying to beat the odds.

This is among the most prominent storylines in our common book of narratives. Laura Checkoway finds a new way to tell it, at the intersection of ageism and ageless love, in her short film “Edith + Eddie,” which will have its premiere at next week’s True/False Film Fest.

Checkoway traveled to Virginia to make one film and emerged with something else — what no doubt will be among the most charming and infuriating 30 minutes True/False audiences will witness.

The title figures were newlyweds when Checkoway met them. Edith, who is black, and Eddie, who is white, dated for a decade before tying the knot at 96 and 95, respectively.

“It started really as a sweet love story, and just a testament to finding love in that season of your life,” Checkoway said. “They’d both been so awakened by each other. It seemed to give them a new reason to want to get up in the morning.”

It quickly became evident that another drama was bubbling up below the surface. Edith’s daughters were at loggerheads about how to care for their mother, and a legal guardian — who had never met Edith — was appointed to intervene.

As events unfolded, Checkoway was confused by what she saw. She initially thought this power struggle was an isolated incident but, after doing her homework, learned Edith and Eddie's story is an all-too-common one.

The film became a meditation on how we treat our elders and a painful glance at the guardianship system, which Checkoway called broken and predatory. Checkoway’s affection for her subjects, and the disorientation she feels with the viewer at seeing their potential fate, is clear throughout.

“Laura cares about the people she’s filming,” said documentary veteran Steve James, who executive produced “Edith + Eddie” as well as Checkoway’s first film, “Lucky.”

Checkoway’s background is in print journalism, most notably profiles and features for Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Vibe. Her transition into documentary was relatively natural, she said. The demands of a new medium felt like more of an adjustment than moving beyond the world of celebrity.

“I became a documentary filmmaker, maybe without consciously realizing it, but because I wanted to tell the stories of everyday people,” Checkoway said.

Full Article and Source:
All in Good Time:  True/False Doc Explores Purity, Complication of Ageless Love

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Note:  Edith+Eddie premiers at the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, MO Feb. 27 thru March 5th.  See the Edith+Eddie Facebook Page for exact time and locations.