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WOMEN MAKE MOVIES

COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTERACADEMY AWARD (R) NOMINEE

Press Kit

Page 2Page 3Page 4Page 5Page 6Page 7

SynopsisCreditsCrew BiographiesFestival Screenings and AwardsSelected Quotes About the FilmPress Clippings

COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER Page 2

Sxnogsis

With profound insight and a healthy dose of levity, COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL

DAUGHTER chronicles the various stages of a mother's Alzheimer's Disease and theevolution of a daughter's response to the illness. The desire to cure the incurable - toset right her mother's confusion and forgetfulness, to temper her mother'sobsessiveness - gives way to an acceptance which is finally liberating for both

daughter and mother. Neither depressing nor medical, COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL

DAUGHTER is way more than a story about Alzheimer's and family caregiving. It is

ultimately a life-affirming exploration of family relations, aging and change, the

meaning of memory, and love.

COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER Page 3

Credits

Produced, Directed and Written by

Cinematography Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OriginaIMusic GraphicArtist Graphic Consultant. . . . . . . . . .

Second Monologue Directed by

Deborah HoffmannFrances Reid

Jennifer Chinlund &Deborah Hoffmann

Mary Watkins

Cappy Coates

Peter Adair

Allie Lightwith Irving Saraf

Ed RudolphNideo Arts

Will Harvey/Music Annex

On Line EditorSound Mixer. .

16mm 199444 Minutes

Production funded in part through aWestern State Regional Media Arts Fellowship

awarded bythe Portland Art Museum Northwest Film Center. Portland Oregon

in a program sponsored by theNational Endowment for the Arts and the American Film Institute

Lucius and Eva Eastman FundFleishhacker Foundation

The Pioneer Fund

Page 4COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER

Crew Biograghies

DEBORAH HOFFMANN - Producer, Director, Writer, Co-Editor

Deborah Hoffmann has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as a film and videoeditor for the past 12 years, editing numerous internationally acclaimeddocumentaries. For editing The Times of Harvey Milk, she received a NationalEmmy and the film received an Academy Award. Marlon Riggs' video ColorAdjustment, which she edited, received a Peabody and an International DocumentaryAssociation Award. She also edited Ethnic Notions and Men Who Molest, whichboth received National Emmys, was an editor on Common Threads which receivedan Academy Award, and edited Acting Our Age, about women growing old.

Frances Reid - Cinematographer

Frances Reid has worked in film for over 20 years. Her cinematography creditsdemonstrate her unique ability to be in sensitive situations and put people at ease.Such credits include the documentaries The Times of Harvey Milk, The Ride toWounded Knee, Acting Our Age, Living with AIDS, Rethinking Rape andBreaking Silence. She is currently producing a feature documentary about collegestudents' attitudes about race, titled Skin Deep.

Jennifer Chinlund - Editor

Jennifer Chinlund is an acclaimed film editor whose credits include Ishi, The LastYahl, Hearts and Hands, Contrary Warriors, and Hope: Songs of the FourthWorld.

Mar~ Watkins - Composer

Mary Watkins has composed and performed music for the past 30 years. Her filmcredits include Ethnic Notions, Color Adjustment, Freedom on My Mind andStraight From The Heart.

Page 5COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER

Festival Screenings and Awards

Academy Award (R) Nomination

Best DocumentaryAustin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - 1994

Berlin Film Festival - 1995British Medical Association Film & Video Competition - 1994

Chicago Film Festival - 1994Silver Plaque Award - Social/Political Documentary

CINE Golden Eagle - 1994Cinema du Reel, Paris - 199542nd Columbus Film and Video Festival - 1994

Chris Award - Best Health & Medical Film,,. Christopher Columbus Award - Most Creative of Festival

Denver International Film Festival - 1994IDA Award Nomination - 1994Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - 1994

New York lesbian & Gay Experimental Rim Festival - 1994

Olympia Film Festival - 1994San Francisco Jewish Film Festival - 1994

San Francisco lesbian & Gay Film Festival - 1994

Audience Award - Best DocumentarySanta Barbara Lesbian & Gay Film Festival - 1994Sundance Film Festival - 1995

COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER Page 6

Selected Quotes About The Film

-Hoffmann has made a loving, optimistic and authentic film about her mother,and the struggles to adjust to the changes wrought by Alzheimer's Disease ...A film that families beginning to deal with dementia or looking at placement will wantto see.- - William Fisher, Alzheimer's Association, Greater San Francisco BayArea Chapter.

-[Hoffmann's picture] is probably the strongest documentary in the festival. It's soemotional, so impactful, the way it's done...from the first minute I was emotionallyengaged in it and fascinated by the broader issues about memory and relationships.-Jenni Olson, Co-Director, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

. A film that all professionals in the field of aging should see; but most especially, itprovides inspiration for Alzheimer's caregivers - both formal and informal." - MarciaFreedman, American Society on Aging

.Offers a refreshing and enlightening perspective that is a must-see for family andprofessional caregivers.1I - Theresa Sullivan, Family Caregivers Alliance

.Hoffmann tackles the role of memory in identity and happiness with a rarecombination of intelligence, dry wit and deep emotion.. - Laura Miller, San FranciscoExaminer

8A stunning, moving portrait of love, compassion and acceptance...a truly inspiringexperience." - Michael Fox, Jewish Bulletin

-This provocative film gives a critical and honest view of a family experiencingAlzheimer's disease and is definitely a film to be used for professional training." .Linda Griffith, Director, Alzheimer's Program, UCSF/Mount Zion Center on Aging

-A moving account of mother and daughter. Well done. A sensitive portrayal of amother's move to Residential Care - a healing move for both." - Nancy Mace, Co-Author The 36 Hour Day.

.1 really wish families all over the country who are struggling with this illness could this[this] film.1I - Dr. Nanette Gartrell, Psychiatrist

1

PRFSS QUOTES

This is the best fllm about Alzheimer's disease that I've seen, andI've seen quite a few... [Hoffmann] finds light in a very dark place. Itoo would have nominated this film for one of the year's bestdocumen tmes.

Gene SiskelChicago Tribune

..most original...a major achievemen tGene Siskel

Siskel & Ebert

The only complaint one could have about Deborah Hoffmann's terriflcdocumentary, "Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter" is that, like "HoopDreams, " it was passed over for an Oscar "Complaints" turns out tobe a compassionate, self-aware and often hugely humorous work....Hoffmann brings a well honed sense of craft to "Complaints"...

Eleanor RingelAtlanta journal-Constitution

A stunningly moving portrait of love, compassion and a(~ceptance. ... atruly inspiring experience... II

Michael FoxJewish Bulletin

Deborah Hoffmann is a truly loving daughter and emerges as ahuman being of rare sensitivity... Hoffmann is a highly experiencedand brilliant editor with a trail of Academy Awards, Emmys andPeabody Awards behind her.

William SloanMuseum of Modern Art, New York

...wise and excellently humoredAmy TaubinVillage Voice

Touching but wryly unsentimental, it's a lovely, inspirational tributeto Hoffmann's mother...

David AnsenNewsweek

2

Filmmaker Deborah Hoffmann... tackles the role of memory inidentity and happiness with a rare combination ofintelliget1ce, drywit and deep emotion.

Laura MillerSan Francisco Examiner

This is a completely humane mm, highlighted by Hoffmann'sacceptance of reality and leavened by well-placed touches of humor.

Kelly VanceEast Bay Express

A don't-miss documentaryPatricia Brennan

The Washington Post

Deborah Hoffmann resists the superficial sentimentality of a non-flction melodrama. ... it's Deborah's adaptation to her mother andAlzheimer's that raises "Dutiful Daughter" from doc'umentary tononflction art.

Michael Blowen'[he Boston Globe

Similar premises have spawned many a self-pitying, morbid,depressing tale, but this isn't one of them~ Film-maker DeborahHoffmann manages to infuse her story with levity, wit and charm,complete with a happy ending, despite the presence of genuinely sadmomen ts.

Bob BlakelyCalgary Herald

... this Oscar-nominated documentary is merely one of the mostdisarming and unaffected fllmsyou're likely to encounter on asubject generally considered depressing. ****

Matt RoushUSA Today

We found it totally engrossing and revealing, a 111m we stayed withand one that stayed with us long after it's 44 minutes had beenunreeled. ... moving beyond words.

jerry KrupnickNewark Star Ledger

3

...[a] supremely moving accounr... Ms. Hof[mann'sgem ofa {'11m isabout the bonds between two women and how their relati~nshipovercomes the fligh t of their shared past.

Frazier MooreAssociated Press

... witty, inspirational, and not the least bit grim. ***1/2Ginny Holbert

Chicago Sun Times

Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter provides the most empoweringexploration of Alzheimer's disease imaginable.

Walt ShepperdSyracuse New Times

Complaints ofa Dutiful Daughter is something all too rare indocumentaries. It models exemplary behavior modestly. Itintroduces us to people we feel privileged to know, and whosechoices we can admire. It is a work of love that can inspire others tobe deL'en t and generous.

Pat AufderheideIn These Times

...brilliant...now everyone gets a chance to laugh, cry and just feelgood about inhabiting the same planet as Hoffmann, mere et fllle.Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter is the best thing on television thisweek. Don't miss it.

Mike BooneThe Gazette Montreal

an exquisite documentaryJulia Keller

Columbus Dispatch

****

Ray RichmondDaily News, Los Angeles

What a joy of a 111m! Please don't miss it.jeannejakle

San Antonio Express-News

4

"Complain ts... n packs more h umanily in to one low-budget hour thanHollywood accomplishes with a burst of blockbusters.

Joanne WeintraubMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

Hoffmann imbues her subject with such dignity and grace that onecomes away with Jess dread and greater knowledge aboutAIzheimer"s than ever before conveyed on the screen. ...ex-quisite...aninspiration to all who face thejoumey.

Fran HellerJewish News. Cleveland OH

NEW YORK, SUNDAY, PEBRUARY 2~, 1995--

,2..10 b.,.4 the -- "- York -.,... 01891 'n.. N- y.,.. ,",...

---A documenr:J~' :Jbour 1\If:JV:J Un received m.uoo in N.E-o\. gr:Jnrs.

CO"U"U~ From Pa,e 1.9

.Freedom ,In \4v .'oIjnd.'" :1 iilm hv';Dnme i"ielu ;lnd ~anlyn Mulford.Ibout the .\ti$SISSIIIPI Vocer R~-tr3t1on ProJect oM the 1960"s. (Theuther two nominees, .'D-Day Re-membered" md ".\. Great Day InHarlem." :"ecelveU no IKibIIC mon--IV.) Of the last :0 'NlMers in thetiOCUmentar/ c~ory, 1 have been.upjX)rtN by the :-f.E-~

The :-f.E-\.. was line oi the fewi'laces 01 iirst.(11ne director like ~.Is.Hoffmann .:oui4 turn to (or help Dn'Complaints Dt a Dutliul Daughter:'

,\n .1ccomplisMd documentary ~i-tor. .ne C:1UeG in aU the favors shecould to make the film but 'Nas stili$hon of cash. A re§lOnal ans 3r:1nt.:JdmlNStered by the !IIonhwest FilmCdllter :It the Ponland Ans ~u-sewn. helped her complete theproJect.

Ylt was m:lJ(e"'>r.b~ak money:'~s. Holfmann said. "Without It I'.¥QIJdn't have finished the film:'

The ne.u illm :Baker In ~s. Haif-mann's predicament '.¥\II hllve :1harder time. The grant tbat ~1s.Hoffmann r-ecet~ -- ;IbOtished inthe wake of last j'ears 2 percent cut1ft !be :-f.E-~ ~ and documen.lazy (Um mUers may see mo~ !I-Ra.clnl evaporate u Congresspares !!Ie Federul budlet 111 the com-'0& montlt~

:Repmenrati~ Italpb Resula. anOhMJ Republic~n ...ho is the chaar-ran 01 1M H.-.se ~mmltteeoverseeing the endowments, doesn4" thmk that the GovernmentstlCKald finance indiVIdual olttlsts.Documenrat1" "got made betore!here was an N.E..\-..' Mr. Regulasaat in :1R intet'f1ew.

"KOOIJ Dreams," the three-lKIUr :film that chronicles tWI) ;]splnn~basketball players throu~ htgttschool. IS 3 classic example of how,the ,"'.E~\ 3nd I)ther public 'ind pn-vate funds work together. ~akln~ :'.Hoop Dreams" woold not ~aYe Ibeen possIble without early Intuslonsof pubilc money, says Sieve J~mes, !the film's director and co-producer. i'.In the be~lnnlnl, people 3t pnvate '

foundations coujdn't see that It '.as ;goIng to he :In Imponant film," he ,said. "We went to all the tr:ldilionDl !sources ;jf\d were fUmed down. '\

1film about spans isn.t exactly 3bumln' .ssue:' I

Public money (some rrom [h~ iN.E-A-) given In [he early yean otthe Prolect allowed ~r. James 3nd I

his producers to obtaIn ~Ch PM- II

vale moneY to finish the film. In 1991.the John D, 3nd C~thenne T. ~acAr-thUt' FoundatIon provIded 3 gr:1nt ot ,~.OOO, the bulk of the 5398.000 '

needed ro complete the 111m. "The ~,E.A. money, which is 31-

-ys UIICOnditianaJ. 3Uowed the film;makers to retaIn anlsuc control;

Iover theIr proJect. Gordon Qwnn.;ln ,execuuve Producer of "HOO!) ~

Dreams," said that when Fine Line iFeatures ,~qUlred the film for the-

Iatnc:lJ distnbution. the companyoffered the Producers an .:1ddj1l~ :SSG,GOO to trIm :In hour rrom the

I'threeo!*U' runnm, time. "We went Iinto the edilln8 ~ 3nd tned. but ,

when we saw It was huntng the rllm. !we said no." Mr. Quinn said. "The

~,E--\. would never make that kind" ~ '

01 demand. - I

II: Seed Money

i F::m:3~~::S' :i Oreums'. is JUS[ one illm 1h.'1[ be- ;I gan WI\l\ P'lblic support. St:1nUlg I

71th seed money the {ilm makers~etVed from r~glon3J beneilcl3- i

! ries of the ,'Iatlonal Endowment iI for the Ans. S[ev~ James. the:I film's director md co-producer.

~ his movie could not havebeen made WIthout such help. i

As IS [YPIC:1l fol' many docu-IliIeIunes. "Hoop Dre3mS" 'Mas

filmed over sev~1'31 years, Here!. IS a veal'4Jy-year breakdown of I, . II how P'lbliC money figured intO ;

the ClnanclngoC "Hoop Dreams:' ,

I wtIjch was released last year. iI 1187 ,52.000: Illinois Ans CounCIl i

I: FellowshIp {a combtnataon ot

I; N.E.A. and state funds)I ~: Pnva[econ["buu~ I,

,11ft.

i $10.000: Pnvateconmbu[ion

: ~0IMt: ~.E.A. ReglCXlaI Fel- II lowsiliP (admUllstered througn I

tbeCenter for ~ew Televis- In i

Cucago) :

I 1810, SiO,*: Ca~rauon fol' Public

I BroadC:l$tlng

1111~.~: John D, and CarJ1er-

iDe T. ~cArtltur Foundation

~a[egr3nt)~.I)CMI: PBSS5OO: Pnvate contnbuuon

-J.Y,Source: SIeve James

"If (hese Ih,~ 3re -.onhwhlle.(hen the pnv3te sector wIll :;upport(Mm..' he ~ald. .'In penods at short.

1311 in the bud::et. IS It the duty ot thetaxpayer In OhIO (0 fund film mak-ers '

It IS not cenaln. C)t course. Ihatpublic mone"! lor (he arts. InctudlRl;tJocumentanes. wIll be ~limlRated.J;tne Alexander, the 3CtresS ..whoheads the :-I.E~\.. saId that (he pros-pect at the Koose's '.zerolR~ oot'. (he:-I.E-\. - Ihat IS. :;tV1n~ It no money- IS 3 worstoC:lse scen;trlo. "TheSenate '..111 force (M I~.' ~s- ,\1-exancJer said. .Th:lt'S the gOO(! news.There ...111 probably be cuts. butwhat (he amount 111 cuts ,vlll be ISImJ)OSSlble 10 say n~t now."

Althou~ both (he ~wmentssupport documentary iilm makers,they differ somewhat In how lhey doso, To be eligible tor:ln N.E.H, gr:lnt.Prolects must be fOO(ed In ;t disCI-plUle like histOry I1r literawre. Anyprotits :lre divIded between (he filmmaker and the endowmenL And :1n"!iilm made W1th iucIl moneY mustuttlm:ltely :lppear on PBs.

Two prominent proJectS tully II-nanced by (lie humanities endow-ment \vere Ken Burns's multl1)artfilms "The Civil War" ;)JId "Base-ball" Of the 52 million given to"Baseball" S1.5 million representedIncome the endowment receIvedfrom .'The Civil 'liar."

Direct grantS from !!Ie N,E.A. :lresmaller tJwI ttIOse (rom rJw N.E.H~with amountS Iyp1caIIy ran~, from$10.000 to SSO,OOO- Application pro-cedures ;tad seiecti. cntena lorN.E-"- grantS :lre. however, less "S-Id.

NBW YORK, TUESDAY. JUNB 6, 1995

TEu:vISION REVIEW

By WALTER GOODMAN

Alzheimer's disease is anythingbut a joke, yet jokes about Alzheim-er's can be very funny. "Complaintsof a Dutiful Daughter" is DeborahHoffmann's funny, sad, loving, exas-perated, wry and resigned account oftrying to come to terms with hermother's vagrant mind. When wemeet the two women, Deborah isDoris Hoffmann's only link to a mud-dIed present and a dIm past thatgrows darker by the hour.

Dons and Deborah always seem toenjoy each other's company, but formonths this dutiful daughter hasfound herself trying with increasing

childhood, pursuing her ever reced.Ing memories. But the image thatlingers is of mother and daughterlaughing together over this and thatand nothing at all.

"Complaints of a Dutiful Daugh-ter," which has understandably wonawards at film festivals, is a strongopening to a new "P.O.V:' season otdocumentaries by independent pro-ducers. Next week brings "Satya: APrayer for the Enemy," Ellen Bru-no's report on the resistance of Bud.dhist nuns to Chinese ruie in Tibet,and "No Place Like Home," KathrynHunt's look at a girl who has lived inshelters and motels for most of her10 years.

frustration to keep her mother in thepresent, insisting on accuracy aboutdates and relationships. Sitting at adesk. fiddling with a pencil, Deborahtells the camera of her wearing com-pulsion to be "the overseer" of awoman who didn't quite recall thatDeborah was her daughter or thatshe had ever been married.

In the hour's centerpiece. a be-mused Deborah recounts her moth-er's string of obsessions. There wasthe DentIst Period. when Dons madecountless notes reminding herself ofappointments she did not have andwould show up at the dentist's officeevery day. That was followed by thePodiatrist Period and the HeanngAid Period. In the Lorna Doone Peri-od, Doris hoarded cookies, and in theBanana Penod she ate dozens of Ibananas. In the Suitcase Penod. shefilled every available container withodds and ends; valises pop open todisplay hangers. bulbs. a telephone, acloclc. bananas. Piano nffs providecomic punctuation to this flea-mar-ket exhibition.

We hear Doris's stream of incoher-ent messages on Deborah's answer- IIng machine and listen In on perplex-Ing conversations. Doris tells Deb0-rah, "1 don't like sleeping alone, soI'm very happy to be in my bed bymyself." Yet despite sudden "ashesof hostility, Doris seems generally Ingood spirits, and after a while Debo-rah has a small revelation: There isno point trying to force Dons backinto reality. What difference does itmake now if she thinks she was herdaughters soronty sister?

By the end of this surprisinglyupbeat hour, Deborah Is reconciledto her mother's Illness - "the ulti-mate living in the moment" - andDoris seems to be getting ~I bet-ter than Deborah had hoped orfeared in a home for Alzheimer'spatients. "Oh, the joy of me'" Donssays. At the end, old snapshots gofurther and further back into her j

"SISKEL &. EBERT" .Transcript of Special Segment on Oscar-Nominated DocumentariesAs It Appears in Show #925Tape date: 2-22-95Air date: 2-25-95

GENS SISKEL: ,Now a .Siskel & Ebert" exclusive, First time we ever saidthat! Last week on our show we ripped the Oscar documentary committeefor not nominating "Hoop DrQ.m:" as one -:-f th.. Yl!ar'9 fivA hA~t:.Committee members ripped us for not having seen all of the pictures theysaw, a fair comment. So this past week we did manage to look at all fiveof the nominated films; we may be the only critics to do so. Let's takethem one by one, and as a general statement I'd like to say right up coothey're all verI" good selections. First up. "COM!'LAINTS OF A DUTIFUL -

IJAUvli'l'r;R," by Deborah Hof!((Ld,l~ iLl. wlucl'l ~he deals with her mothcr' ~Alzheimer's disease in a most~riginal way,

CLIP

GENE: II COMPLAINTS OF A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER" is sincere. It breaks uptalking-head shots with some bright graphic3, and it looks at Alzheimer'shor.est:ly and doesn't make us afraid. of it; that's the real discove~y ofthis picture. This film is only 42.. minutes long, but it's a majorachievement, and I'm really glad I saw it: Deborah Hoffman's "COMPLAINTSUl"" A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER."

ROGER: It is a very thought-provoking film, certainly for anyone whohas ever had contact with somebody who has this terrible disease. Thenex~ or ~he nomin~L~u docume11~a~ie5 is "D-DAY nEMEMDERED," ~nd I considgrthis the weakest of the group. It's an assembly of foo~age of theNormandy invasion, some of it very familiar--we've seen ~hese shotsbe!ore. And chen ther~'~ d U~~~a~or and various other VOiCC3 ~h~~represent those who were there.

CLIP

ROGER: .D-DA~ REMEMBERED" is an interesting film; intrinsically thisis interesting material. It might be at home in a classroom or on cableTV, but it doesn't do anything new or very challenging with thedocumenta.-y form~t, ~d it doQsn't really b~l~n~ in tnp ~nmp~ny of theother nominated films.

G~~: You know, Roger, i~ held my in~erest absolutely, even though Ihad seen a lo~ of the D-Day s~uff last year. And I fel~ ~hat there was alot of foo~age which I hadn't seen before, some fresh viewpoin~s. I fel~I was ~here wi~h those people. Okay, our next documentary is .FREEDOM ONMY MIND," also a journey in~o the past, back to the '50s and '60s, backto ~he beginnings of ~he Civil Rights movement in this country, to theday when blacks ~d whitcc cogether did overc?mg ra~ial bat~~d 4n ~nASouth. We get interviews with many of the key players, including anunforge~~able young woman--Endesha Ida Mae Holland--who was working as aprosti~ute when young nnTT.MArn men and women came to the South to helpregister voters and break discriminatory practices.

l\n"PIII'P"Cltt:J

~Un.'t'V"J. the tt'cck.,

c.'t'cnts

~I.\R<':H1-:;"

Fri -Sat: C~mplaints of aDutiftil Daughter, Fri at 8,Sat at 5. Deborah Hoffin3n' s\\,;se and excellently humoreddocumentll'V mces me course,

J

at. her mother's ..\lzheimer'sdise~e and her O\vn, frequentlyunexpected, responses.Nominated tor an ~\c~demv

~

Award, Complaints also carriedoff t'1tIO prizes at the BerlinFilm Festival. (T aubin)

,SUMMER GATHERINGS

YI-I

--J

As Alzheimer'sdisease slowly gains its: hold on him, my;

1fathe~and I are forging...{, a new re.iationshipi' By Patti Davisc

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I WILL NEVER FORGETthe first time I saw myfather, Ronald Reagan,studying the comics ipages of the newspaper Ithe way he once stud-ied the op-ed seroon. Ifelt a pang of pain andsadness.

My father was eighty-three when the fonnaldiagnosis of Alzheimer'swas handed down. We had healed alot of wounds and I had acceptedthat, at his age, time was growingshort, even under the best of cir-cumstances. But death has manyfaces. With Alzheimer's, there is thedeath of memory, cognition, aware-ness, and the death of liope.Once-it now seems so long ago-there were things I imagined sayingto my father, conversations Ithought we could finally have aboutwhat had gone wrong between us,but also about what had been right.But the disease stepped in the way.That's how it felt initiatty.

The past still seemed littered withregrets, and now the future was lit-tered with questions. Would he befrightened as his world began tonarrow and what was familiar began

left: One ofpjIotosofmfathef'. AllOY

-,her

of his raft PappearancewaIked-

" .',!-" in CaDfomia

to look strange? Would be grieveover a past dlat was steadily erod-ing? What emotions flo\'" beneathhis damaged memory?

Even dlougb my family bas beenvisited by a great sadness, we arefortunate. As a fonner President, myfather has Secret Service protection,a guarantee that he won't wanderoff and becom~ lost, as so many pa-ti~nts widl A1zheim~r's trod to do.And b~cause my parcnts arew~a1thy, my modl~r could afford tobring car~giv~rs into dlcir homc.

Neidler my siblings nor I have

been faced \\ith the decision of howbest to care for our fadlcr. Thosechoices hav~ been made \I;thout us,and so we have been spared awrenching aspect of this eJ.-perience.

From dle beginning, I shi~d away

myfa--'. IIId myclast1IIade-ubGcIlShe_home

from encumbering my-self with clinical de-scriptions, I saw novalue in putting medicallanguage to a fact I al-ready knew too well:

.-\lzh~imer's breaks off the pathlA-a~"Sin the brain, like fre~-ays after anearthquake. Science may be able tomap out the brain, but it can't fullyunderstand the mind. I felt I olA'cdit to my father to experience themystery. I made a conscious choiceto accept whate-.'er unfolded.

I sit with my father and look at abook of photographs; the other dayit was a book on Iowa, Each page isa n~W ad\'entUre, and when we getto the end, we can start over and itIA;JI be a different adventUre. I don'tallolA' myself to drift into the past or

the futUre, I step finnI.v into the mo-ment, as if that's all there is, Be-cause for my father, it's evet)-thing.

When I talk to other patients' fam-ilies, I am continually Stl"Uck by 00\\'similar the emotional (continu.J)

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From the top: Myparents in 1994; afew monUts later,my father wrote a

letter to i nfonnthe ptlblic that he

had Alzheimer'sdisease. Waving to

admirers at hisPresideatial

library in 1997;posing with a

twelve-year-old fanthat same year

SAYING GOOD-BY!Continued

experiences are when it comes towatchin2 a loved one _succumbto _AJ1heimer's.\.I was recently intro-1

I duced to Debbie HoffiIlann artd ~erlremarkable film, ComplaInts

of a Dtttiful Daughter, abouther mother's battle witnAlzheimer's. In Doris Hoff-mann's eyes, I saw my fa-ther's eyes-that samemixt~re of confusio.n and

lknowmgness. It's as if theyare functioning on tWo lev-els-one that is disinte~t-1ing, which depends onllanguage and conscious

I thought, and another thatI flows far beneath, mY$teriousand out of reach.

I once saw my father hold-jing and staring at a hair rib-

'bODiliat I'd put on the table. I triedIto see it as he did-the way the fab-

ric shone as he turned it toward the 1light; the way the colors seemed to I

move. It was curiosity in such apure state that I know the momentwill stay \\;th me fo!"ev~r. -~

--l

father than any we had before when.language too often got in the way. Icome to him now with no expecta-tions. I can't recapture what's gone;1 can only eJq)erience, as fully as Iam willing to, what still remains.

Just as there are stages ofAlzheimer's, there are stages to whatwe as loved ones go through. Aswith most things in life, we eventu-ally StUmble into acceptance.

We get the same questions frompeople who haven '( had close con-(act with Alzheimer's: Does yourloved one recognize you? Do theyknow who you are? And I've learnedthat most of us come around to thesame answer: I( doesn't matter. Youchange when you are around thisdisease. More and more, you come(0 the experience bare of the trap-pings of your life-your interpreta-tions, and defmitions of who yourparent was in the past, and who youwere in the past.

At the end of one visit with myfather, I said, "I'n see you soon."And ~ answered \'ery emphatically,"You bet you will." There wassomething so uncomplicated andsp9ntaneous about i( tha( I had tolaugh. Which th~n made him laugh.When I left~ he was still smiling.

Maybe in the end, aU we have isa handful of moments-such as cmyfather;s eyes lighting up when 1 kisshis forehead and say, "I love you."I'm not sure if it's recognition orcognition. I( doesn't matter. It's an1oment I'll always tteasure. .

~...

2

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Language falls away with Alz~heimer's. I've imagined it as astring of beads; each representinga word. Then the string breaks;beads roll actosswe floor and scat-ter, The temptaUQIt is to re-stringthem, make things whole again.But I don't. I respond instead to alook in my father's eyes, his bodylanguage, the intention behind thewords that have broken apart.

Once, when I was leaving, Itold my father, "1 love you." Helooked at me, paused artd asked,"You did?" Because our troubledhistory had stood betWeen us forso long, I felt my heart leap to-ward his words, eager to fix anylingering wounds ftom the past.But the truth is! he had simplymixed up the tense.

Mo~ often now, there is just si-lence, the slow ~ of pages ina book, the shadow of a bird flyingpast the window. In the silence, Ihave experienced a trUer, more au-thentic communication with my

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48 AbiES' HOME JOURNAL. JUNE 1999

1.

Complaints of a Dutiful DaughterU.S.A.. 1114. 44 c.,.,Direct.,/Pr.ducerl$creenwritlr: Deoorah Hoffmannti.8I118togrepher: Frloc8S ReidE4ito,.: JennIfer Chinlund a~ DeiXlrlh HoffmannMuaic: Mary Watkln$

Ronald Reagan's r~ent revelation about being diagnosed withAlzheilMr's disease brought with it the inevitable jokes. CertainlyAlzheinr's is no laughing matter Somehow. Deborah Hoffmann - in

this supremely sensitive and rrt1iing account of various stages in her~ther's condition - allows us to laugh wr"th her as she deals with theabsurdities inherent in an experieoce that embodies confusion. disorien-

tation. and obsession.So many people, when first encountering this disease in a l(Ned one.

feel a sense of inevitable decline and subsequent hopelessness. Declineseems to be inevitable. ~t hopelessness need not be. Hoffmann's firstbreakthrough co~s when she lets go of her need to correct her~ther's confusions. It is a liberating rrolMnt when she realizes thatit is the feeling. not the accuracy. of what her rrother says that is im-portant. Further. aher the initial trauma of tlYing to locate somewherefor her irr.reasingly disoriented rrother to live. she is fortunate to findan enlightened facility exdusively for those with Alzheimer's. a placethat allows people to have their de~ntia, to live in the rrolMnt.

An experienced editor (The 7iffeS of Harvey Milk. C%r Adjustment),Hoffmann, in this courageous directorial debut. manages not only to 00

entertaining and infarmative but also to offer inspiration and hope.- Roben Hawk

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AGING TODAY

. continuedfrom page 14 .

The documentary footage in this filmis superb. Hoffmann's partner, respect-ed cinematographer and filmmakerFrances Reid, participates fully in Hoff-mann's caregiving and clearly lovesboth her subjects.

This film belies die popular images ofAlzheimer's. It is upbeat. lively and fun-ny. This is a film that will give hope toAlzheimer's caregivers as well as early-stage Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer'sdisease is one of the most feared afflic-tions of old age. "Complaints of a Duti-ful Daughter" shows a lighter, brighterside without for a moment ignoring the

er image of Alzheimer's, no longer theend of the world, but rather an entranceinto anod1er reality.

Doris is an extraordinary character;though her memory deteriorates severelyand agitation and wandering set in, hercore personality remains eyident through-out. She is a stylish, channing, funny, ar-ticulate and intellectual woman whosomehow, despite her increasingly dis-abled mental function, maintains good-humored, intelligent dignity.

The film also documents her evenrualinstirutionalization at Oak Creek, a facil-ity in Castro Valley, Calif., that matchedHoffmann's instincts about caring forsomeone with Al~i~r's.

The film beliesthe popular

image of,Alzheimer's.

BEING WHO THEY ARE

"The staff allows them to be who theyare," Deborah told Aging TcNlay. "Theyprovide a lot of love and affection, lotsof occasions to socialize, and residentscan wander as much as they want Thereare grounds that are fenced in and sev-eral open doors. My mother wandersout one door, walks around the houseand then wanders back in another door.

"Though they're having differentconversations, the residents constantlytalk to one another. My mother is happy.Everyone else there seems to be happy,too. I know it's going to get worse andworse. But maybe we can manage tokeep her happy."

reality of the disease."Complaints of a Dutiful D-dughter" is

distributed in film and video fonnats byWomen Make Movies, 462 Broadway,Suite 500, New York, NY (0013; phone(212) 925-0606, FAX (212) 925-2052. .

Man'ia Freedman is director of mar-keting and public information with theAmerican Society on Aging and authorof Exile in the Promised Land (J.thaca.N.~: Firebrand Press. /99/.)

Aft~r an award-winning d~but at last year's

San Francisco Int~matiunal wbian and GayFilm mtival, Complainu was invited to Sundanc~and giy~n a slot on PBS' roo \~ series. One thing

the film has going (or it is its qu~' visual sty\~.MCDmIIlainu is in numerous (()rInats, and you cankind of see that," ~xplains Hoffmann. "The stuffof my mother and me. .-hich kds extRmety

hom~.movic-ish, is shot with a consum~r ca~a

the filming .-bile she did the interacting. ~It had 10be the penon. w~ knew m)' mother as intimatel)'as I did. It couldn't have been anyone else. Thefilm wouldn't have happened .irhout her."

In the film's pivotal moment, the then-S4-year.old Doris H<Xfmann rakes the camera into herown hands and films the filmmakers. A smiling.

doe-eyed Reid aJ'J)ears beside a slightly conflicled-looking Hoffmann. Twenry-five minutes in, the

"DEBORAH HOFFMANN

£locID"rIeJ"'I:t:£D'-i£D COM PLAINTS

OF A DUTIFULDAUGHTER

BY ERIN BLACKWELL

film has suddenly defined itself as lesbian-positive.MThat was a big decision for me, whether toinclud~ that moment or not,- says Hcifmann. -I'dwoc-bd on a Ioc of gay films, ~dy 5OCial-issu~films. Now, Ronald Reagan is int~r~st~d in

Ahbeimer'S, and he and 1 hav~ seemingly not~in common. So here I am making a film that wouWaPlJeaJ to people who don't usuaUy see films 1 ~kon. And yet, my mother kept Iookine at Franc~and laying Frances' name. She insisted France$ b<in the film, basically. So I had to decide: am I gain\."to throw this monkey wrench into this nice. mid.dle.American subject of Ahheimer'sr Sudden~.it's a gay film.-

Editor Jennifer Otinlund, who is not a Ie$bianwas le5pOrISibie for d1e scenes inclusion. "Jennife!was the one who really insisted when 1 would gelcold fttt. 'No, you really have to put this in,' she 'I-say. And she's rieht. It's so revealing that m~mother could have this deep-seated (homopiK>-

bic) prejudice, which the Ahheimer's makes VOlreali:e is based on nothing. - says Hoffmann.

Uncomfonable in the role of PollyanaHoffmann nonetheless ackoowl~ a silver !in

ing when she sees one. MI teU people my rnothe!has Alzheimers and they say, 'Oh, I'm so SOrT).

ea\'ing the -nasty,dark room" whereshe made her repu-tation as an editor.Deborah Hoffmannhas taken her placein the SJX>flight as

producer, director.writer, and co-star

cl Complairw of aDutiful Dln.ghteT .The tragicomic ~-

- - ~ minute film por-

trays the middle-aged filmmaker's coming toterms with her mother's transformation byAlzheimer's. In a bean-warming quid-pro-quotWist, the Jewish matriarch simultaneously over-comes Iona-standing prejudice to fully acCept herlesbian daughter.

What inspired the editCK of Marlon RillS' doc-umentaries Ethnic Notions and Color Adjustmentand Robert Epstein's The Tunes 0{ Hmw, Milk totrade the Invisible creativity of the cuttina-roomfor the peIIOnaJ revelations of die screen! -I wasunaware of what I was doing, " claims Hoffmann, a

San Franciscan since 1968. -I wasn't awareenough to be as scared as I should have been. Itwasn't until we were just about through and I real-

ized I was going to let the world see it, that I stan.

ed to lose massive amounts of sleep. By then it w.

too late.-

that you can tWirl around on your litde finger.The stuff of me talking is shot on Beta S~ a bighuge camera with big hu,e lights. The night-timestuff with the moon was actually shot in 16mm.No real reason, except Frances (Reid, the filmscinematographer,) owns a 16mm camera. and weknew we just wanted to run and get the moon.-

At age 47, Hoffmann finJs herself in the role of"expen- on vide() diaries, which led to her invita-tion to speak at 00. \~'s workshop on the genre inLos Angeles last year. -What I've done-that justso happens to put me (Xl the cuttinl-edae, which

is nowhere I imarined myself being-is that I useda lot of this h«xne-~eo equipment,- she says."I'm held up as an example, but it's all just a bieold accident. And it's also a big old accident thatAizheimer's is now Disease of the Year.-

HoHmann is quick to credit the contributionof Frances Reid, a producer and director in herown right who is also her domestic partner of 10years. "It's hard to sepa~te out the AJm and deal.ing with my mother; ~ther would have workedwithout Frances," she says. "For some peculiarfeasoo, my mother went nurs for Frarx:cs. - In

order to make what she originally thought of as ahome movie, Hoffmann needed somcone to do

14 THE IIOEPEIOEI' Mard11995