TRAIL is teaming up with the Johnson County Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board and FilmScene for a special Older Americans Month movie presentation you won’t want to miss!
People talk or laugh about aging, its irritations and relentless progression, but rarely confront the reality of dying or being left alone. Nor do they consider the lightness and calmness that can come when the race seems not so crucial. The award-winning I Like It Here is about all those things and, finally, about the pleasures of being alive.
A figurehead of American independent documentary film, Ralph Arlyck conveys how it feels to look back on your own life as he spends time with older friends from his past and present, and his children and grandchildren. Woven in with these scenes are personal reflections on the challenges of getting old: of feeling one’s joints and thoughts stiffen, as the camera confronts—both seriously and humorously—the obstacles that materialize in front of anyone experiencing later life.
The wistful tone conveys the type of wisdom that only comes with age. The title’s declaration has a double meaning. The “here” that the filmmaker likes is both his immediate rural surroundings (the fields, water, and neighbors he sees out his window)—and life itself.
“[Arlyck] is doing precisely what great memoirists do: invite us into their stories as a way of making space for us to reflect on our own… I’ve seen the movie twice, and both times I found myself moved near tears”. – Alissa Wilkinson, The New York Times
Invite your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to join us for the screening. A brief panel discussion will follow the film, featuring TRAIL Executive Director Christine Scheetz and JCLC representatives. Other aging-services organizations will have information tables in the lobby shortly before and after the event.
This event is part of FilmScene's Community Collaborations series. It is a free or pay-what-you-can, general admission event. We recommend obtaining your tickets in advance and arriving at least 15 minutes early to secure a seat.