PHYLLIS AND HAROLD
This remarkable documentary is destined to become a touchstone of contemporary Jewish non-fiction cinema. New York film and video artist Cindy Kleine has spent years examining aspects of her personal family history that most people spend years trying to avoid - namely, her parents' marriage. In this frank and funny film, she takes us on a not-quite sentimental journey with her parents, from their courtship in the 1930s, through World War II and into a new millennium. Mixing reportage, cinéma vérité and animation, she uncovers family secrets that can only now be told. Her film delves into the mystery of time passing, the nature of living a life and the challenges of losing those we love. But it is also a loving, funny exposé on the sins of suburbia that mixes the depth and complexity of Ingmar Bergman's family drama, Scenes from a Marriage, with the humour of an episode of I Love Lucy. As this loving film reveals there are no ordinary people - that each of us is special in our own way - Kleine celebrates her parents' lives as everyday works of art. Director Mike Nichols (The Graduate and Charlie Wilson's War) said, "What a movie. It is shocking and riveting in about a hundred ways. I loved it."




