What Makes Us Tick is a film and discussion series that explores the complexities of human behavior. This year, the series focuses on aging, the art of maturing gracefully. As the average human life span has lengthened, so too has life beyond retirement. How is this time being spent – preparing for life’s inevitable end or seeking new adventures; celebrating a fulfilled life with loved ones or trying to heal family fractures; indulging in selfish pursuits or working toward improving the well-being of society?
Four films will address these issues in a life-affirming manner. Post-film discussions will be conducted by local mental health practitioners to further explore how individuals react to getting older.
• “Autumn Spring,” 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16, at the Swan Ballroom, Atlantic Sands, with discussion leader Jennie Keith. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for Atlantic Sands lodgers and include complimentary wine, coffee and desserts served prior to the screening.
Terminal prankster Frantisek Hana (Vlastimil Brodsky) is a 75-year-old Czech man who refuses to believe his days are nearly over, even as his ever-practical wife prepares for their impending death. He doesn’t want to while away his last few years on earth living like a hopeless, aged geezer. Even faced with his own looming death and an ungrateful son who wants to whisk his parents off to the old folks’ home, Frantisek’s irrepressible nature won’t quit. As a tonic, he spends as much time as he can with his friend Eda, engaging in pranks and other frivolities to infuse hope into his daily existence. [2001, Runtime: 95 min., Rated: PG-13]
• “The Straight Story,” 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 17, Swan Ballroom, Atlantic Sands with discussion leader Roy Fitzgerald. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for Atlantic Sands lodgers and include complimentary wine, coffee and an assortment of cheeses served prior to the screening.
Richard Farnsworth stars as Alvin Straight, a no-nonsense man who has never been one to lean on others. Now at an age when his eyesight denies him the ability to drive and walking is accomplished only with the help of two canes, Alvin lives a quiet life with his daughter Rose. When the call comes that Alvin’s estranged brother has suffered a debilitating stroke, Alvin embarks on a dangerous and emotional journey to make amends. With little money, but plenty of patience and tenacity, he climbs aboard his 1966 John Deere lawnmower and begins a 260 mile journey from his small Iowa town to Lyle’s home in Wisconsin, touching the lives of many people along the way. [1999, Runtime: 112 min., Rated: G]
• “The Other Side of the Street,” 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Swan Ballroom, Atlantic Sands Hotel, with discussion leader Eric Kafka. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for Atlantic Sands lodgers and include complimentary wine, coffee and desserts served prior to the screening.
Regina is a plucky and opinionated woman who sees no reason why aging should render people as either “old, crippled or idiots,” as she candidly puts it to another older woman. Regina spends her days as one of several volunteer undercover informers in “Senior Service,” a special program assisting the local police. She has never been wrong in fingering suspects, until the day she observes a man in an apartment across the street giving what appears to be a lethal injection to a woman.
When Regina alerts the police, the suspect turns out to be an important judicial official. Regina does not believe the man’s high rank should excuse him from murder, so she continues to investigate on her own, with unexpected results. [2004, Runtime: 98 min., not rated]
• “Antonia’s Line,” 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Swan Ballroom, Atlantic Sands Hotel, with discussion leader Kathryn Harris. Tickets are $18 for the general public and $15 for Atlantic Sands lodgers and include complimentary wine, coffee and desserts served prior to the screening.
Winner of the 1995 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, “Antonia’s Line” is an inspiring and uplifting masterpiece, as big hearted and full of life as the unforgettable character at its heart. The film begins at the end of the World War II, when a spirited, independent woman returns to the place of her birth to start a new life with her young daughter. What follows is a remarkable portrait of one indomitable woman, her family and the community around them. Earthy, sexy, romantic, and filled with laughter and warmth, “Antonia’s Line” covers a legacy of life and love that spans five generations. [1995, Runtime: 102 min., rated: R]
A $60 discount ticket can be purchased to all four sessions. Tickets are available through the Rehoboth Beach Film Society office, 645-9095, Ext 1.
Eric Kafka has been a psychologist for nearly 40 years. He has worked for Community Mental Health, higher education, nursing homes and senior communities in Maryland. Upon moving to Delaware, Kafka worked for the Lewes Convalescent Center and currently continues his private practice in Lewes.
Jennie Keith is an anthropologist whose research has focused on the experiences of old age and aging in various parts of the world. She is retired from the faculty of Swarthmore College and lives in Lewes.
Dr. Roy G. Fitzgerald is a psychiatrist and chainsaw artist who has recently retired to Lewes. He has published research in many fields including aging, blindness, and bipolar disorder. In addition, he has moderated film program discussions for the annual conventions of the American Psychiatric Association.
Kathryn Harris has been a clinical social worker in the Delaware area for 35 years specializing in issues related to personal transition, women’s experience, trauma and post-traumatic stress. She performed critical incident stress debriefings following 9/11 and participated in a mental health/disaster relief team in Sri Lanka following the tsunami of 2004.
