Time Passages

Synopsis

In this revelatory and inventive personal documentary, Chicago filmmaker Kyle Henry (ChicagoIFF selection Rogers Park) explores his close relationship with his elderly mother Elaine at a critical moment. It is the early days of the pandemic. Mother and son are separated, and she has late-stage dementia. Mining his own extensive family archive in combination with playful uses of photographic projection and models, Henry delves into the specific complexities of their relationship while also relaying a larger tale of American motherhood and self-sacrifice.

From the Kodachrome pictures and grainy Super 8 home movies of his past to touching Zoom sing-a-longs with his mom in the present, Henry creates a vivid and intimate family portrait while reckoning with his feelings of guilt and helplessness. Also full of warmth and joy, Time Passages is an alternatingly moving and amusing testament to the bonds between mothers and children, and the ways we navigate life’s most challenging moments.