Film explores ‘wonderful’ approach to ageing
SPONSORED STORY: A film, which follows a woman approaching the end of her life while exploring the concept of ageing, aims to connect with residents of Australian aged care facilities.
Themes of faith, ageing and compassion are explored in the new film, Gardening with Soul.
The film, titled Gardening with Soul which has just been released on DVD, is a feature length documentary following a year in the garden with 90 year old, Sister Loyola Galvin.
Sister Loyola's optimism is infectious and it's fed every day by her love of gardening. Themes of faith, ageing and compassion sit alongside the practicalities of community life, issues within the Catholic Church and the importance of good compost in this intimate, funny and moving portrait of a woman approaching the end of her life.
According to Jess Feast, director of Gardening with Soul, the aim of the film is to celebrate the wonderful character of this woman, to share her humour and her wisdom.
“We wanted to make a film that explored big universal themes in a very down to earth way. We also wanted to explore how gardening can connect us to nature and our own spirituality, whatever shape that might take,” Ms Feast says.
She adds they have had “amazing feedback” from older people who have felt inspired by Sister Loyola's sense of joy.
“Sister Loyola is very young at heart but she is also someone who embodies a wonderful approach to ageing. But, Sister Loyola also shares honestly some of the harder things about getting older. The range of emotions is fitting in the exploration of a full and varied life. We certainly hope that the film will connect with residents of Australian aged care facilities,” she says.
The film came about when Ms Feast heard Sister Loyola interviewed on National Radio here in New Zealand.
“I just loved her cheeky sense of humour and her practical approach to life. For me, she embodied that wonderful old wisdom that I appreciate in my own nanna. I was also interested in how someone as engaged as she is, and as open minded, approached community life within the Catholic Church,” she says.
It was a desire to explore these ideas that prompted Ms Feast to embark on making the film.
“Sister Loyola lives compassion every day, and her approach to this is seen in the way she has nurtured children, her garden and all the people she comes into contact with. As she ages, she also has to find compassion for herself. It is the honesty with which she shares her questions, doubts and failings that give the film depth and humility,” she says.
The film premiered at the NZ International Film Festival and was released nationwide. It won Best Documentary in 2013 and has since featured at the Australian International Documentary Conference Doc week and had an Australian release.
The Gardening with Soul DVD is available for purchase here.
