Synopsis

In 2017 the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, NY turned 100. Over the course of that year, portrait painter Brenda Zlamany painted 100 of the residents. 100 surprising, unique and inspiring stories emerged.

Through the collaborative nature of the portrait process this film focuses on the engagement between artist and subject. Elderly people in our society are often discarded, their stories unheard. We see in the film that, as soon as the paint brushes come out, the conversations start.

The piece is an intricate weave of the stories, feelings and impressions that emerge during the portrait painting. Each individual story arcs into a verite whole that is bittersweet and wise. As elders reflect on their pasts (a chance try-out for the Dodgers: the horrors of the Holocaust) the film asks: what is it that makes us happy? What is a complete and meaningful life? What are the happiest moments and most painful losses? What is important at the end of life? And what is the role of memory?