Written specifically for lead Sheila Florance, this new film from Paul Cox (Vincent, Golden Braid) is a semi-autobiographical account of the last days in the life of Martha, a withered, elderly woman who nevertheless maintains a spirited, youthful outlook toward life even as her body winds down, beset by cancer. Aided by Milinka (Dobrowolska), her nurse, Martha resolutely continues to dole out snippets of wisdom and love to those in her circle of friends including, among others, the failing, semi-senile man next door and the young prostitute who works out of the park next to Martha’s house. With a overly concerned son and a landlord anxious only for her to depart so he can rent out her home, the old woman finds her closest ally in her nurse, with whom she shares the accumulated secrets of a life well-spent; Anna, it seems, is the only one who can understand and value her fierce independence in the face of terminal illness, and, in turn, Martha graciously allows Anna to meet her married lover for trysts in the house. “I will die in this bed,” she tells her beautiful young friend, “it’s only right that you should love in it.” Cox’s film is a relentlessly honest glimpse into the twilight of one woman’s life, and Florance, who was actually fighting her own battle with cancer during filming, is riveting and wholly unsentimental in her portrayal of this woman so uncompromisingly alive in the midst of old age. This is a gentle film, rife with truisms that may be hard to grasp for younger viewers (under say, 40, that is), but that nonetheless offers up much to ponder regarding the nature of life, death, love and hope.
This article appears in July 17 • 1992 (Cover).