TAKE GOOD CARE

A short film

About aging, ambition, family, and love

starring Molly Hagan as Sophie

Logline

In a world where older people are expected to quietly die at age 65, a single-minded scientist, desperate for more time, needs her long-neglected artist daughter to take good care, of her.

Synopsis

It’s 2035 and in order to conserve resources and shrink costs, elders, or those who reach 65 years old, are promptly sent off to “Depart” (i.e. die.)

SOPHIE isn’t giving up so easily. A stubborn biogerontologist, Sophie’s spent her life in singleminded pursuit of what she calls a “healthier-aging” therapy.

Others might call it the key to immortality.

But the clock is ticking. And to secure permission from the Threshold Council to continue past her “expiration date,” Sophie needs a caretaker.

The prime candidate is her frustrated-artist daughter, WREN, who blames her work-obsessed mother for her own failures in life.

Will Sophie’s obsessive work cost her her main reason for being, her daughter?

Director Statement

TAKE GOOD CARE is a film that takes a gimlet-eyed look at a society in which we’re all living longer than ever, yet many still treat the aged as disposable with little to contribute.

Ageism isn’t the only problem our heroine, Sophie, faces. By edict of the Threshold Council, if she wants to continue on, she needs her long-neglected daughter, Wren, who blames her work-obsessed mother for her failures, to caretake her. Yet as parent and child engage in the delicate dance of caregiving—and taking—the question arises: who is actually taking care of whom?

The tone is satire—with heart. It’s Logan’s Run meets Nancy Meyers.

There are other films about caretaking from an illness perspective. But there are very few featuring characters struggling with the human impact of our current, huge demographic shift: thanks to good medical care and better lifestyle choices there will be twice as many people over 65 in 2060 as there were in 2018, and longevity will continue increasing, with many living to 100 years old, some say 150! The challenges we’re currently going through of increased longevity and vitality—and basically having an unexpected additional one-third of your life—is something we’ve barely processed as individuals. In addition, caretaking is often unpaid work that is thrust upon family members who have little say in the matter. By 2040, the number of unpaid family caregivers, currently 54 million people, will double. As a society, we need better solutions, not just work-life balance lip service.

The choice to literally tie Sophie and Wren together, in poses inspired by the actual parabiosis rejuvenation procedure (and Waiting for Godot!), presented many challenges. Push-ins, pull-outs, the use of mirrors, and a lazy 270 degree circling camera movement reflect the ongoing tension and push-me-pull-you relationship of mother and daughter, who will always be bonded.

The Brazil-like setting allows for a pointed societal critique: how dismissively elders are often treated, how little support women get to pursue their ambitions in life. But the heart of the film lies in Sophie and Wren’s give and take. As every parent or child knows, the caregiver/caretaker relationship is enormously complicated. I hope the personal experience I had taking care of my mother that’s embedded in Sophie and Wren’s story, as they both struggle with their roles, makes it relatable for others. That others too will forgive themselves for not always having their priorities straight—and for their imperfect relationships. And know that it’s never too late to communicate the true care we feel for one another.